InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Halves ❯ Stale ( Chapter 13 )

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

Halves

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and I do not make money from writing this story.

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A/N: Happy birthday,sexxiigurrll0204. This chapter's for you :) Thanks for being a wonderfulreader and reviewer ;)

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Sango ignored her brother's worried words. She knew he meant well, but she had no intention of following his advice. She had decided to become a taijiya and no one would be able to deter her from doing so. She owed it to Kagome. She owed it to herself, in the first place. Naraku, the bastard, he was going to die by her hands. She felt it, she knew it.

With a twisted smile, the woman put more strength in her arms, imagining that her target was Naraku, imagining that she was slowly, torturously killing him. Her trainer was old, he was well prepared, but even he had acknowledged her merits. She was becoming increasingly good at this, so good that he had given her his own weapon - Hiraikotsu, a giant boomerang. It had taken a few days until she finally managed to handle it, because it was amazingly heavy, especially for a woman.

It was perhaps her determination, or maybe her hatred that gave her so much strength to go on, but she suspected Kagome's spirit had something to do with this. The young miko had suffered a lot before her death, Miroku had informed her, and Sango felt she wanted to avenge Kagome's soul.

Yes, she'd dedicate the victory to herself and to the fallen Kagome.

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“You knew this was going to happen,” Inu no Taishou said firmly, with a low voice and Seikai merely smiled.

“I could not tell you, you would have prevented it,” he reasoned.

“Damn right I would have,” the Emperor wanted to shout, but it didn't matter now. Inuyasha didn't have a Half anymore and Kagome was dead. News traveled awfully fast, he'd been so shocked to hear it. He hadn't had the chance to speak to his younger son, but he was completely certain that Inuyasha was suffering a great deal right now. He'd wanted to prevent it, not to let him make the same mistake, but history had a tendency of repeating itself. He just wished he could figure out the reason behind Seikai's odd smile.

“Fine,” the Emperor said instead, “but will it be a happy ending for my son?”

Seikai shook his robes to get the dirt off them and bent to pick up a flower. He studied it carefully as Inu no Taishou wondered what he'd say. The sky was clear today, there was no cloud, just like every other day here. As a matter of fact, Inu no Taishou clearly remembered a sunny sky the last time he had come here, even if there had been clouds above the castle.

This place seemed heaven-sent, maybe it was the purity of the monk that kept it so clear? He could understand how the monk found it easy to read the stars from here, they must be very clear at night.

“These flowers grow under a perfect sky,” the monk said seriously, sighing from time to time, “and they don't question if that's normal. My sky, the sky I'm under, it's always sunlit, because I need it to be sunlit. There is never a drop of rain above my cottage, because I do not need it to be.”

The Emperor frowned, what was he going on about?

“I have created my perfect world through spirituality and a life without temptation. I've resisted the pull of earthly things, and so far it had brought me only happiness and contentment. So the sky above me is a result of that, of my spiritual beliefs. Yet these flowers,” he squeezed the little one in his hand, “do not question that. They are just glad to have the much-desired light and, seeing as I water them all daily, they have no reason to question what they've received.”

Inu no Taishou's eyes widened - so he was speaking about Inuyasha. And he was right. Humans and demons were worse than animals and plants, they questioned their gifts, didn't take them for granted.

“I wish people were like this flower. I wish they knew not to deny their gifts, because the Kami have been generous enough as to offer them what they need. Inuyasha, your son, needs his Half to be happy. You know best what it is like to live with a broken heart.”

The Emperor nodded, it was true, he'd never ever wanted that for his two sons.

“But you haven't answered my question,” he interrupted.

“And I still won't. It is not a question I can give an answer to, because you will feel inclined to either fight more to prevent it or to be comforted and stop doing anything if my answer is affirmative. So I will not tell you whether your son will have a happy ending, you just have to be yourself and to meddle as little as you can, but still be there for him and support him in whatever he chooses to do. You must not leave your son alone in this - he needs the love of a parent,” Seikai advised, twirling the flower between his fingers then letting it drop to the ground.

“What about Naraku?”

The monk's expression hardened considerably, “What about him?”

“Can you tell me anything about his past?”

“His past, eh?” the monk smiled, “Yes, about his past I can tell you.”

The sun flickered brightly and wind rustled through the leaves, everything seemed so unearthly here.

“There was once a weak yet conniving demon that wanted power. Above all, he wanted to rule the world and sold parts of himself repeatedly to more powerful, more influent demons that he deceived in the end. He became increasingly powerful, but one day Midoriko and Shikon no Tama happened, and he found himself sucked into a void, unable to do anything but wait. This demon, this twisted creature waited and planned to corrupt the miko guarding the Jewel at the time so he could escape his imprisonment. He sold his soul for this, he has no self-awareness right now. The Jewel permitted his escape and now he wants to be Emperor,” Seikai explained as a shiver ran down Inu no Taishou's spine.

“He wants to be Emperor?” he asked cautiously.

“He wants to be Emperor,” the monk agreed.

That was not good news. So what Naraku wanted was to become Emperor himself - that meant he intended to bring the entire Imperial family down. One step had been Sango, Kikyou-Hime's loyal servant. Inu no Taishou had known all along that Miroku had an affair with her, they were clearly in love yet he didn't really want to mention it to Masami, she might not like it too much.

“Should I pursue him?”

The monk frowned, “No. You should not even try to fight against him. This is Inuyasha's fight. Let him do it. Do not interfere with the way things are, trust me. You must let Inuyasha deal with Naraku.”

“So… he'll defeat him?” There was hope in the Emperor's words, there was a sliver of anticipation.

“I cannot say, but I know that you should not interfere.”

“Very well,” Inu no Taishou agreed, “I shall follow your advice. Thank you for this, if you ever need my help, you should just ask for it and I will not hesitate in offering it to you,” the Emperor stated proudly.

“I do not need anyone's help, Inu no Taishou-sama,” the monk said cleverly, bowing deeply to show that he was respectful, even if he did not want the Emperor's help in anything.

“Very well then, I shall leave now.”

The monk bowed again and did not move until the Emperor was out of sight.

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Miroku enjoyed the feel of the water cascading around his shoulders, it was soothing as it was painful. The sheer pressure made him want to shake his body to relieve it, but he took it all, he wanted to feel the pin, he wanted to feel the uncertainty in his actions, to know that he might fall from the rock at any given moment.

He remembered training Kagome in this same place. He remembered her shaking shoulders, her pursed lips, her frowning features. He remembered how she had not been able to concentrate at first, just like any beginner. He didn't mean to, but he remembered all her hurting words about Inuyasha, all the ache he'd felt in her voice. Miroku knew that she hadn't been happy and now felt even worse for having put her in the same room with Inuyasha. It was unclear what they had done together, but she must have been very confused to feel so many conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she wanted Inuyasha, that was clear to the naked eye, but on the other hand, she respected Kikyou-Hime enough not to want to do anything about it.

It was unfair, he thought. Now she was dead, without the chance to ever experiencing all the advantages of love. He had Sango, Inuyasha still had Kikyou, where did that leave Kagome? Dead, of course, she was dead. There was no need for the young monk to think about her fate since she was no longer alive, but it didn't hurt to think of her as a living presence. He had a feeling she was not entirely gone from their lives.

Maybe, hopefully, he was right.

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“Damn it all. Kagura!” Naraku called, punching a dent into the floor of his own house. The woman in question came quickly at her master's demand. She was unquestionably connected to him, he held her life in his hands. Literally.

“Yes, Naraku,” she said, she was the only one to get away with calling him that, since he knew her free spirit.

“I'll kill them all. I'll kill those bastards. I just hope they're all miserable right now.”

“What do you want me to do?” she asked bitterly, already disgusted about what he'd say. It was always something that went against her will, but she was forced to do it.

“We're going to have to kill Kagome. I told them she's dead, but she's not, really. We just have to `take care of her'. Now I can't get to close to that mountain without being completely purified, but I've been thinking,” he mused aloud, his eyes colliding with the floor.

Suddenly, he dropped his upper clothing, letting Kagura see the perfect skin of his chest. He was such revolting being, yet his skin seemed perfectly human, unmarred, he was truly handsome. But she knew better, she couldn't be fooled. Under that skin boiled a sickening mass of flesh and deadly tentacles.

The sword that was always at his side when he slept, he picked it up and abruptly sliced the skin off his back. The wind demon smiled. She knew what had him so angry - it was the spider on his back. She had it, too, because she was his for now and it had transferred to her, but she didn't mind. She could bear it on her skin as long as it would exasperate Naraku.

She watched in morbid fascination as the spider grew back on his flesh as he healed. It seemed as if it was crawling outside from within, so, so stomach-turning.

“I have to get rid of this sliver of humanity inside me, and what better place to do it than at Mt. Hakurei?” his grimace almost glittered in the constant darkness of the room, he was so handsome, yet so twisted.

“I'll be watching you, too, Kagura,” he threatened, his eyes were seriously red. “I won't have you betraying me.”

“Rest assured, Naraku,” she replied, she wanted to curse him, but she knew she'd pay for it. What good was to rebel against him if he could crush her without even breaking a sweat?

“For now, return to your guarding. If Kagome leaves the mountain, bring her to me. I want to make her pay myself.”

“As you wish,” she said evenly, flicking her fan on the way out.

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“Sesshomaru?” the prince in question lowered his gaze to the girl that was crouched right next to him.

“Hm?”

“Where has Jaken-sama gone to?” she asked innocently, pouting cutely.

He felt compelled to smile, and he did, to the girl's immense surprise. Just as he was about to open his mouth to answer, words caught in his throat when he felt the little girl's finger on his lips.

“Are you smiling?” she asked strangely, her head cocked to the side as if contemplating.

“Maybe I am,” he said, his lips straight once again.

She frowned, “You're not smiling anymore,” she pouted, why did he have to be so difficult? It was the first time she saw him smile, she wanted to commit it to memory.

“I see no reason to,” he answered simply. Why did strange shivers climb up his back all of a sudden?

“Then why did you smile earlier?”

“I didn't,” he lied, really, he was acting like such a teenager.

“You did, too,” Rin countered, she had seen him, touched his lips as it happened, she could not forget it.

“I did no such thing.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I did not.” Why was it that he felt all warm and cozy arguing with her like this? It was childish, he knew, but it soothed him.

“Yes, you did. I saw it, I saw.”

He smiled again, “Like this?”

“Yes,” she beamed, “just like that!”

“Hn. Alright,” he nodded.

Rin was left staring at the smiling youkai as if he were from another world.

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Inuyasha dreaded returning, but knew he had to face the music.

He'd thought about going back to Kikyou, but it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to her and it wasn't fair to himself, and it certainly wasn't fair to Kagome, even if she was no longer alive. He cringed as a pang of sorrow enveloped him in thin tendrils.

He'd already announced his presence to Kikyou and it was only a matter of seconds before she would come through the shoji doors herself to inspect his wounds and whatever, he knew. She was such a lovely and thoughtful wife, he didn't deserve her.

“Inuyasha!” he heard her exclaim as she pulled him into a strong embrace, as if she couldn't believe it had been that much.

Seven weeks. Seven entire weeks.

“Kikyou,” he whispered slowly, the ache in his chest refusing to disappear. He'd imagined his happiness at seeing his wife, but it wasn't so. It made him feel guiltier, it made him miss Kagome and be conflicted once again. A part of him still loved Kikyou, but a stronger, more important part of him couldn't get over the fact that he still loved Kagome while she was still dead, a fact that would never change.

He'd dealt with it, he'd… tried to stay away for a while, yet nothing had helped.

And there was no trace of Naraku, either. There was nothing for him now than the death of Naraku. He'd confess to Kikyou, he'd tell her about his Half, about his weakness for Kagome after they'd broken the bond, about how she died… He'd revisit these old injuries that had scarred, he'd pour salt on his own wounds, not because he enjoyed it, but because he deserved it. Because Kikyou deserved to know the truth.

Before he opened his mouth, a thought bloomed forcefully. He could have children with Kikyou now. The knowledge would have made him the happiest hanyou on Earth a few months ago, but now… now the sole concept made him shiver. A while ago, Kagome had been the only one who could give him a child, yet he'd relinquished that right. How entirely stupid of him…

“How have you been? Oh, Inuyasha,” the woman squeezed him in her embrace, she was so relieved.

“Fine, don't worry, Kikyou, I'm here.”

“Yes, you said that. You said you'd come back,” she whispered into his clothes, tears threatening to overwhelm her. She hadn't seen him in so long, she didn't care he was hanyou tonight, she had to have him, had to have the reassurance that everything was okay, everything was back to normal.

“Let's go to my room,” Kikyou said, grabbing his wrist, intent on dragging him inside, but her brows furrowed when she felt his resistance. The next time she met his eyes she was shocked by what she saw inside them. He was hurt, amazingly hurt, what was wrong?

“Inuyasha? What happened?”

“Kikyou, we… I,” he mumbled, unsure how to start, “we need to talk.”

Her features hardened and she remembered what she had wanted to tell him before all this chaos happened. Yes, they did need to have a talk.

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“Sesshomaru-sama, I am back,” the faithfully youkai servant bowed, panting madly.

“Did you do what I asked of you?” the prince asked coldly.

“Of course, Sesshomaru-sama, look, it is from your mother, Empress Masami herself,” the small youkai handed over a beautiful necklace made from beads and fangs, yet it was so intricate that one could not realize what it was made of.

“Did you have trouble getting it?”

The youkai sulked a little “Well, Masami-Hime-sama is so cruel to me,” he whined, remembering the conversation.

“My son has sent you for it?” the Empress asked firmly, her back against the throne. It was unusual for the imp-like youkai to be visiting her with a request from her son. Sesshomaru never asked for anything.

“Yes, Masami-Hime-sama, your son is asking you to make him a protecting necklace from his fang. Here,” he bowed and gave her the fang Sesshomaru had given him. It perplexed him to think why his master wanted a necklace made from his fang, but it had seemed important, Masami-Hime would surly understand.

“Little demon,” she said suddenly, “you want me to believe that Sesshomaru would give me his fang to make him a protecting necklace?”

The small youkai whined, “My name is Jaken. Yes, it is his fang, he told me to tell you what I already told you,” he cringed, did that make any sense?

“Very well, little demon, it will be done in an hour, you can wait outside.”

“It's Jaken,” he complained as he left the room.

The next time he entered, the Empress was reluctant to show him what she'd done. When he saw the necklace, however, every breath left his lungs, it was astounding. It was even more beautiful than Masami-Hime's own necklace, made from the powerful fang of Inu no Taishou himself.

“Masami-Hime-sama, thank you so-”

“Tell my son that I am happy for him about his Half, little demon,” she interrupted, giving him the necklace.

His eye twitched, “Jaken,” he corrected, “and what was that about his Half? Sesshomaru-sama has no-”

“You may leave,” she ordered calmly and the small youkai swallowed thickly. She was just so cruel.

“Hn,” Sesshomaru nodded, so his mother already knew. It was fine, really, that only meant that she had put extra effort in making the necklace. She had done a wonderful job, it seemed, because it was stunning.

Jaken opened his mouth to ask his prince about the Halves issue, but Sesshomaru had already turned away. Not one to waste time, the prince called Rin, who ran towards him happily. She simply smiled at him, waiting for him to say what he wanted to.

“Wear this,” he stated simply, holding out the necklace.

Her eyes widened comically, “But Sesshomaru, it's too-”

“Wear it,” he insisted, and she nodded in a haze, putting it around her neck. Her eyes glistened with what looked like tears of joy as Sesshomaru nodded in approval.

Neither noticed the small demon's surprised expression behind them.

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Kagome woke up from her afternoon nap. She was always so tired, it must be because of the mental strain she subjected herself to. She practiced her meditation and purification every day, she'd soon become a pro. It was her goal to master her powers completely, and she didn't doubt for just one second that she'd manage it.

Six long weeks and she still didn't have a plan. But it didn't matter, it didn't matter at all, because she needed to be good at what she did first, and then make plans about how to use her powers. Naraku would be lucky not to shed a tear when she'd be done with him.

The only sad thing was that she was all alone. No one was around, she'd tried to find humanity, but it seemed this mountain was lacking that.

So she'd starting speaking to herself or to flowers and trees around her, it was soothing.

This solitary life made her stronger, she could feel it, it made her more resistant to everything evil. From time to time, thoughts about her family broke through her defenses, but she knew she couldn't sadden herself with such musings, so she always took her mind off them. Her mother, her brother, her grandfather, everyone had to be safe, she counted on that. She'd ensure their safety.

The river sizzled soothingly, she liked the electric sound. It brought goosebumps to her skin, and there weren't many things that thrilled her anymore.

Her face welcomed a bright smile as she looked at a particularly sharp pebble under the flowing water. She wanted to be that pebble. For a moment, she envied it madly, it had all the happiness in the world, while she was trapped here, on a pure mountain, plotting against her archenemy.

“You're so comfortable there, aren't you?” she spoke to the pebble with a motherly smile, “that's your whole life right in front of you. You know what you're meant to do, you know your place. I want to be you,” she confessed, wiping her tears, keeping the smile that always allowed her to live on. “I can't give up on hope, I want to be like you, I want to find my place.”

For a few fleeting seconds she imagined being that pebble, feeling the cold, stinging river water caress her whole body, letting refracted sunbeams soothe her senses.

Biting her lower lip, the miko let her thoughts once again revolve around Naraku and Kagura. She was a conniving woman, that one. Kagome could only hope she wouldn't do any more harm, that she wouldn't choose any more women to bring to the monster.

Her mind forcefully brought her back to Sango, as much as she hated being deflected from her ultimate goal, she couldn't not wonder how Sango was doing. Was she hurting still? Kagome didn't know the extent of Naraku's torture, but it must have been awful, was Sango okay? If she wasn't, Miroku would surely be hurting, too.

A few droplets of rain touched her shoulder and her eyes widened. The hut was half an hour away, she would have to really hurry to reach it. Hopefully, she wouldn't fall sick.

Her steps carrier her on the now very familiar path, and she purposefully avoided a few dents in the ground. She could run faster, she'd noticed a while ago, it was because of the training. She would never forget Miroku's words, physical training was as important as the mental one. There hadn't been a sole day without her training physically as well.

If things weren't so dangerous, she would feel very proud of herself.

The raindrops were already falling consistently when Kagome stopped abruptly, clutching her stomach and bending over so she could throw up. Fortunately, she'd pulled her disheveled hair out of the way in time, now she was feeling better.

This nausea had happened a few times in the last days, she was afraid to think of what it meant. If the rice had gone bad, then she was in serious trouble. She hadn't noticed any insects and it didn't appear stale to her, but if it was, she didn't know what to do. The young miko didn't even want to think about the prospects.

She just wished this annoying nausea could go away. It was the last thing she needed - another thing to worry about.