InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ghostly Ambition ❯ Disturbed ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha or any of the original characters; they are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation for personal and shared enjoyment of true InuYasha fans that I hope is up to the quality of the real series. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Author's Note - Thanks to Aquamarine and LadyOrion for their reviews.

Aquamarine: You're quick to see that about Kagome's memories. I try to leave clues but not too obvious. I want to keep the suspense as long as I can. It's good for the heart! LOL

LadyOrion: However you wish to review is fine by me, I love your enthusiasm…it's contagious!

Ok, formatting problems…take 2…

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Chapter Three: Disturbed

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InuYasha sighs and picks up another broken branch, well dried out from its long separation from the parent tree. "From what I saw when I got there, she had managed to turn his own blade against him but got trapped underneath him when he fell." His ears go flat and he looks at the listening Monk. "It was only for a moment, but long enough to scare the crap out of her." His tone turns rough, "I've seen that look before…" his breathing deepens, remembering the blank look on her blood splattered face, the look of someone who has been pushed beyond what they can stand, and the branch in his hand splinters and cracks in two. His golden eyes burn savagely as he lets the pieces fall, "And that's not all…"

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Sango pokes at the fire with a stick, glancing up every now and then at the silent girl sitting across from her. Strange enough that she is wearing the red and white outfit that makes her resemble Kikyo more than is comfortable, but even stranger are the blushing looks she has been receiving from her since she and InuYasha had arrived. Even Shippo is acting odd. Instead of noisily asking questions or giggling over some game he usually engages Kirara in, he has latched himself to Kagome's side, quietly leaning against her and staring unblinkingly up at her flushed face. Quite often Sango has observed the kitsune patting the red material covering Kagome's leg in a reassuring manner; whether to comfort himself or the girl is still unknown.

Sango lays the charred stick down, "Kagome-chan?" Her friend looks at her almost furtively, the red on her cheeks deepening, before turning away again and Sango frowns, "Are you…hungry?" Kagome gives a quiet "no" with out looking at her.

Perplexed at her friend's behavior, Sango tries again, " What is it? Something's wrong; I can tell. Are you alright?"

Kagome bites her lip and stares at her lap, `Aside from seeing things I've never seen and feeling things that I shouldn't…I'm just hunky dory.' Shame flooding her at the strange feelings that flood her every time she looks at her friend, she settles for a false smile and a quick nod, "I'm just…tired. That's all."

"Tired…" Sango slowly nods back, unconvinced and looks out at the deepening darkness, wondering what is taking the two males so long. InuYasha abruptly dragging the Monk off did not go unnoticed. `Whatever they're talking about…' her eyes narrow, `he'll tell me.' She grabs the charred stick and snaps it in half before tossing it on the flames, `…If he knows what's good for him.'

Looking up, she sees the dark circles under her friend's eyes and suggests that she go to bed, "…because you know that InuYasha will probably have us up with the dawn tomorrow." She watches Kagome nod wearily, still not making eye contact, and unroll her sleeping bag to crawl in. Shippo yawns and snuggles in with her where she hugs him close. Sango bids her a quiet good night and selects a new stick to stir the coals while she watches over her troubled friend and waits for the men to return.

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"…No scent?" Miroku is greatly disturbed at what InuYasha tells him, bringing to mind the difficulties they had not so long ago. When Shippo had been kidnapped, he and Sango had gone hunting for the bastard responsible. Soon after, he had managed to capture InuYasha and Kagome too. He crosses his arms and shakes his head, thinking of how Sango had challenged the villain to a fight just to buy him time enough to free the others and of how long it had taken her to recover from her injuries. "She still favors her shoulder," he muses out loud, "she tries to hide it, but…" He sighs.

The two share a quiet moment, united by their mutual feelings for the two young women, spoken and unspoken, and by their innate need to protect those they care about. The trees rustle softly overhead and the sky darkens, the first stars making their appearance before the silence is broken. Miroku bends to retrieve the larger piece of the branch that InuYasha had broken, "I have to agree with what Kaede said; coincidence is too easy a label. That little trick is not a common thing."

InuYasha shifts the small armful of wood and looks at the Monk, the shadows disguising his features, "Do you think this man was in league with him?"

Miroku shakes his head in mystification, "We can't rule that out as a possibility."

InuYasha turns his head to stare off into the darkness, "Then…there could be more." It was more a statement than a question.

The Monk nods in agreement and turns in the direction of their camp. "Well, we can't find more wood…it's too dark."

"Here," the hanyou halts him and hands over his pile, "You can't…I can."

Miroku nods and heads back alone.

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---- She is surrounded by gray nothingness…dark shapes drift by with no form…deep male laughter and the quick flash of light reflected off a cold metal blade…"She is Mine." Kagome turns her head towards the voice but sees nothing. The words are familiar but, "That's not InuYasha." The strange floating sensation is not unlike traveling through the well, but here it seems endless…with no destination...and nothing to return to. "Where am I?"

Vaguely familiar, the deep voice echoes back across the depthless void, "…Where?"

She catches her breath and spins around; looking for the owner of the deep voice, "Who are you?"

Another direction, "Who?"

'Turn…there is nothing there. "What do you want?"

"What do I want…?" The voice chuckles, "I want many things."

She twists around again and still there is no one, "What things?" Suddenly she gasps from the cold pressure around her throat, feeling it tighten, suffocating her.

The voice whispers in her ear, "Everything!" ----

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The rasping noise slowly reaches her, separating itself from her dreams and Kagome opens her eyes. She gasps in horror and swiftly yanks her hands away from around Shippo's throat. His eyes are bulging and his face looks blue even in the firelight. He chokes painfully once his windpipe is no longer constricted, trying to breathe and only managing to gag. She sits up, "Shippo!!"

The others wake, startled to see the kitsune flopping around like a fish out of water and wheezing. Kagome reaches for him and he backs away fearfully, still choking and coughing but finally getting some air. She jerks back as if stung. Cries of "what's going on?" and "Shippo!" add to the confusion that swirl around her as she clasps her hands together against her chest and draws in on herself, resting her head on her drawn-up knees and rocking against the sudden heartache and guilt slamming into her, sobbing.

Miroku is holding up the gasping kitsune, patting him gently on the back while Sango has an arm draped over the crying girl's shoulders. Since Kagome is not answering they wait until Shippo can talk. Miroku looks over at InuYasha as he prowls around the campsite looking for any threat, before turning back to the youngster in his care, "Shippo, what happened?"

He rubs his sore throat, shuddering with each breath, "Ka-K-k-Kago-me…" he hiccups and wipes at is eyes, swallowing painfully, "Ka-gome was…" He starts to sob as badly as the now silent girl had across the fire from him.

"I almost…killed him," came the broken whisper and they all stare at Kagome as she raises her head, staring blindly and shivering.

Sango's mouth drops open in shock, "Kagome-chan!"

InuYasha stops pacing in the shadows and comes closer, disbelieving what he heard. "What are you saying?"

Kagome raises her trembling hands and looks at them as if they belong to someone else, "I woke up and they were…wrapped around his throat…" her mouth continues moving but nothing comes out. She shakes her head and drops it back down on her knees, sobbing once more with her arms lying limply at her sides.

Sango looks appalled and rubs her friend's back, trying and failing to comfort her. She looks over at Miroku who has his hands full with the understandably upset Shippo, sharing a deeply concerned look with him.

`I can't stand it.' InuYasha drops down next to Kagome and, for the second time in one day, he cradles her in his arms and rocks her, letting her cry.

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"She's had a terrible shock and may be lashing out in her dreams." Miroku pulls his eyes back from checking on the fitfully sleeping girl near the campfire with the kitsune huddled up in a miserable ball next to Kirara on the opposite side. He crosses his arms and faces the other two where they had moved to talk quietly so as to not disturb either of them. "I have seen suffering similar to this; in the very young or survivors of a brutal raid. Even in those sent to fight when they are too gentle minded. More often than not, all they need is time to accept things."

Sango adds, "And to feel safe."

InuYasha looks from one to the other, "But she's fought…well…what I mean is; she's seen death before."

Sango sighs, "Yes, but not like that. Up close and personal." She folds her arms, unconsciously imitating the Monk, "I've been trained to fight - I know the risks." Her eyes reflect the campfire's distant flames, "But Kagome-chan…" she shakes her head. "I say she needs to go home…for a time."

Miroku nods in agreement, "That would be for the best."

All three turn to look across at the sleeping girl, tossing restlessly in her sleeping bag. InuYasha shakes his head with mixed feelings, `She always bounces back so cheerfully…why not this time?' Wishing that he could punch something, he accedes to their judgement, "In the morning then."

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Kagome hides her face against InuYasha's back as they return to Kaede's. `I feel like I'm being banished…' she blinks back tears as this morning's conversation replays in her head…

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- - - - "Don't I get a say in this?" Kagome looks from one to another, seeing the same resolute look on each face…even InuYasha's.

Sango finishes tying the backpack shut, strapping Kagome's bow on top, "Kagome-chan, you're upset and in no condition to travel right now."

Miroku nods and his voice is calm, "You've had a bad scare and should take some time to let yourself heal."

Anger at the Monk building abnormally high and breeding confusion, Kagome shakes her head, "But I wasn't hurt!"

InuYasha answers gruffly, his arms crossed stoically, "Not on the outside."

She looks down, biting back words she might regret and sees the fearful glance that Shippo gives her, feeling her heart break all over again and effectively killing her resistance. She bows her head, saying quietly, "Fine…take me home." - - - -

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Kagome raises her head to look over at the others riding on Kirara just ahead, trying to spot the little kitsune. `I can't believe I almost…' ----Shippo's scared face peering through his ragged mop of hair from behind iron bars…the Kitsune struggling frantically in a net suspended from a tree…pulling stubbornly against the leash around his neck…her hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing as he gasps----

She shakes her head, focusing on InuYasha's ears, `Maybe they're right. I'm no good to them like this…' Her breath catches in her throat.

----InuYasha lying lifeless on the ground, blood pooling from the gaping wound slashed clear across his neck…A mangled corpse, so disfigured that were it not for the shredded remains of the Monk's robe still covering the torn flesh---

Kagome is deeply shocked and jerks, a wave of cold shuddering through her and making it feel like her very blood is freezing in her veins. She grits her teeth and grips InuYasha's shoulders tightly in reaction.

He turns his head to look back at her, "Kagome?"

She buries her face against his solid back with her heart pounding madly, `Where did…that…come from?' She swallows back bile and takes a quick breath before she rasps out shakily, "Just take me home."

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They make it back to Kaede's in good time with Kagome pushing them as badly as InuYasha ever had; insisting that she didn't need a break and that they not stop just for her. She barely stayed long enough at the village to exchange the contents of her pack for her schoolbooks before heading for the well, with InuYasha insisting on taking her all the way for his own piece of mind.

He even took her through the well, claiming she looked too tired to climb out again on the other side, and would have followed her to her door if she hadn't insisted that it wasn't necessary; that she was perfectly safe here.

She practically closed the wellhouse doors in his face before he took the not-so-subtle hint. Once he was gone, she dropped the assertive pose and slumped her way across the Shrine Grounds towards the house, dragging her feet all the way.

After a half-hearted "I'm home," at the door, she had trudged up the stairs to her room, dropping the backpack next to her desk and plopping herself on the bed. Now she sits there, head bowed in defeat and despair, staring at the rumpled yellow canvas of the half-empty pack. She suddenly frowns, upset with herself, `I didn't say goodbye…jeez, what a jerk I am. Angry because they care about me.' With a heavy sigh, the last of her energy seems to leave and she stares down at the red hakama she is still wearing, plucking at the material listlessly, `I think…I'm too tired…to change…'

"Kagome?"

Her head comes up, and she blinks. `Huh?' The darkness outside her window startles her, `How long have I been sitting here? I only closed my eyes for a moment…'

"Kagome?"

She turns her head to see her mother standing in the doorway, looking at her with concern. "Mama?"

Mrs. Higurashi steps closer, worry for her daughter marring her brow, "I've been calling you." Mother's intuition brings her close enough to place a measuring hand on Kagome's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

Kagome nods, "I'm just tired." She feels her stomach rumble and places a hand over it, `That's right, I was too upset to eat earlier…'

Mrs. Higurashi chuckles softly at the telltale growl, "Do you want me to bring you something to eat? Some soup maybe?"

She gives her Mother a tiny smile, "That would be wonderful. Arigato Mama." She watches her Mother leave and sighs, catching sight of herself in the mirror across the room; her skin pale, bruised looking eyes, her hair unbrushed and wild from the wind. She bites her lip self-consciously and grabs a hank of tangled black hair lying over her shoulder. `What is happening to me?' Suddenly she stiffens.

----The stranger looming over her, a maniacal look in his eyes and the lethal blade held in their combined grasp…The heat, the wetness of his life's blood pouring out…the smothering pressure of his limp body trapping hers against the ground----

Her knees hit the floor and she gasps for air, waiting for her heart to stop pounding so hard that it hurt. Kagome hangs her head, shaking in reaction. `I…can still…smell…the blood...' She finally sits back on her heels, hugging herself and staring at the far wall. 'Oh…God…'

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----The endless gray seems empty; no horizon, no up, no down. Kagome looks around with mild curiosity, "Where am I?"

A dark wind comes from nowhere, rushing past and carrying sounds of creaking wood and clanking chains. The deep male laughter is back and has her spinning, looking for the source and vaporous shapes writhe at the edge of her vision only to disappear when looked at directly. "Who's there?"

The laughter grows less amused and more menacing, increasing in volume. "Is that the best you can do?" Faint cries of creatures in great pain echo faintly beyond.

' She cranes her head around, straining her eyes in all directions, "What do you mean?"

."You're making this all to easy.".

' She makes a frustrated noise, "Making `what' easy?"

'"Show me…" The deep voice is getting clearer.

' "Show you what?" It's disorienting; this formless void.

' The voice deepens further with anger, "Show me…like before."

' She spins around, frowning and growing angry herself, "Damn you! Show you what?!"

. "That's it…I was wondering where she was hiding…" .

' She shakes her head, "I don't understand…who was hiding?"

' A whisper so close she can feel the breath behind it, "…Little Bird."

' She jerks and spins violently, searching, "W-what?" The wind suddenly swells, shifting closer and spiraling around her; accelerating, pushing her body into a dizzying whirl. The pain-filled cries swell to deafening levels. "Ahhh…Stop it! Show yourself!!"

. "Yess…I'll show you…" ----

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Kagome sways unsteadily, blinking into the dark. `What…?' She looks at the pale light coming through the curtains and recognizes her brother's room, watching them gently billow from the air drifting in from the open window, `What am I doing in here?' She shakes her head, trying to clear the fuzz from her brain. `I remember going to bed…' She frowns, looking past her pajama clad body and down at her bare feet, seeing her toes wriggle on the small rug next to his bed. Her big toe is still throbbing from kicking the toy truck that is now half under the bed. Souta's soft snores reach past the buzzing in her ears.

She realizes that there is something in her hand and she raises it to look. The dull glint of steel looks out of place in the darkened room and she gasps in shock, dropping the long butcher knife on the floor with a muffled thud. Beginning to shake, Kagome backs away in horror with her eyes glued on the unexpected weapon, recognizing it as her Mother's favorite from the kitchen, and bumps into the doorframe. She puts her hands out for guidance and continues to back into the hallway, shaking her head in denial. The wall stops her and she hesitates for only a second before running down the stairs and out the front door.

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