InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou no kokoro no naka de; Within the Heart of the Half-Demon ❯ I'm to Blame ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I own lots of Inuyasha merchandise but I have yet to get my hands on him. Someday…

 

A/N:So here I am… it's nearly midnight and I'm listening to the Inuyasha Symphonic Wind CD. Great one. If you haven't heard it you should. Kaoru Wada continues to amaze me. Oh and sorry for the slight delay in the update, I would have posted it yesterday, but our electricity transformer like exploded and so we were without power all day. It got freakin' hot in this house. Anyway, one with the story…

 

And before anyone asks me why random chapters are in bold print, the answer is: I don't know. Sometimes when I upload the chapter, it makes all bold and I can't fix it. It's dumb. Sorry.

 

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Chapter 8

 

I'm to Blame

 

 

 

“What did you find, houshi-sama?” Sango asked.

 

Miroku had been up looking at books for ten minutes. He sat down hold three. They looked ancient. In one of them, the pages were falling out. Kagome took the fragile books and handled them with great care.

 

“You said The Great Youkai, right?” Miroku asked.

 

“Hai,” Kagome nodded, not really paying attention. Her attention was focused on the book in front of her. Sango had taken another book and was flipping through the pages skimming for the words Naraku or Shikon no Tama.

 

“Who was this `Great Youkai' again?” Miroku asked.

 

“You know - that guy.” Kagome muttered.

 

“Oh yeah,” Miroku nodded sarcastically.

 

Kagome sighed, looking up at Miroku. “He was a terrible demon that terrorized the world for over a century. He got his awesome power for the Shikon no Tama. He was finally brought down by Inu no Taisho, lord over the western lands, who took the jewel from him. Neither the demon nor the Shikon Jewel were…”

 

Miroku froze. “The Shikon Jewel? You mean like, the one we have here - in the shrine?”

 

“Yes.” Kagome nodded.

 

Sango looked up at the monk, who's gaze was caught at one of the books. “What's wrong, houshi-sama? Do you know much about the Shikon no Tama?”

 

Miroku looked at her and gave her a quick nodded. “Oh, yes.” His voice was suddenly no longer chipper, but deep and almost scary. “I've been in that shrine many-a-time.”

 

“Could you tell us anything about it?” Kagome asked.

 

Miroku looked around, assuring nobody was watching. He leaned in, the girls followed his lead. All three faces were close right over the surface of the table. “They say,” he began, “that it is cursed.”

 

Kagome laughed hysterically in her head. Ha! Of course it's cursed you idiot!! But she said nothing. Neither did Sango, though they avoided eye contact with each other and kept intent on Miroku's tale.

 

“Do you know much about its history?” Sango inquired.

 

“I know a little bit. I know that it was created and owned by a powerful priestess by the name of Midoriko. She protected the jewel for most of her life. Once she died, however, it fell into the hands of evil. Evil like the Great Youkai.” Miroku stopped. He stood up and went for one more book, returning shortly. He skimmed through some pages until he came to a section about the origins of the Shikon no Tama. He read quickly over it. “Yes, that's right. Midoriko was actually killed in a battle with the Great Youkai. At that time, I suppose, he would have been the `Great Hanyou.'”

 

“You mean the Great Youkai was actually only a half demon?” Sango asked.

 

Yeah…Kagome though. It was no news to her. Naraku's a hanyou. Dang…there's so much I need to tell you, Sango!

 

“Yes,” Miroku continued. “He used the jewel, once he gained possession of it, to become a full demon.” Miroku skimmed through the passage further. “The Great Youkai engaged in a battle with the great Inu no Taisho. The Great Youkai eventually lost, costing him his youkai blood, the jewel, and then his life. However, before Inu no Taisho received the jewel, the Great Youkai had put a curse on the jewel to ensure that it would either stay with him or infect and haunt the ones that released it. Inu no Taisho was careful enough that he got it to a priestess without releasing the curse. That would be Kaede,” he added. “Too bad the curse somehow…” Miroku suddenly cut himself short.

 

“Somehow…what?” Kagome asked. He doesn't know - does he?

 

Suddenly a purple light filled the room and Miroku screamed out in pain, standing up and knocking his chair backwards.

 

“Miroku!!”

 

“Houshi-sama!!?”

 

He gripped his right wrist in his left hand and hollered. Kagome looked down at his right hand - it was the source of the purple light.

 

“Miroku??”

 

He looked down at his arm. NO! Not now! They'll find out about my…he screamed out again.

 

Kagome and Sango stood dumbfounded. They didn't have a clue of what to do! Sango had left her chair and was standing at Miroku's side, bracing him so that he didn't fall.

 

“Houshi-sama! Houshi-sama! What's wrong!! What's happening!”

 

His arm glowed brighter and brighter until all of a sudden it stopped. Miroku's screams of pain ended as well. He bent down, resting his weight on his left arm on the table. He held his right hand to his chest, breathing heavily. He was in a heavy cold sweat. Kagome and Sango stood on either side of him, not saying a word.

 

“It hurts more every time,” he finally said after calming down.

 

“You mean that's happened before?” Kagome asked, surprised.

 

He nodded. Guess there's no use hiding it from them now - now that they've seen it. “You know how I was saying that the curse somehow…”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well. What I was saying..” He paused, breathed deeply, then continued, “was that the curse was somehow released. It now infects a small number of random people, including me. No one's sure why.”

 

“No one? How many people know the curse has been released?”

 

“Just I. Kaede may know a bit about it, too.”

 

“Do they know who else is cursed?”

 

“Iie. The king's advisor has hinted that he may know something about the curse. Some say there are youkai as well as humans that have been cursed. No one really knows for sure.”

 

“Youkai too?”

 

Miroku nodded.

 

Kagome was surprised. Oh, God, what have I done?

 

Without much notice by either party, the conversation had suddenly become that of only Kagome and Miroku. The princess noticed that Sango had withdrawn herself from the conversation. She turned to ask her something, if only to make her feel invited to join in.

 

“Hey Sango-cha…”

 

She stopped. Sango had backed up against the bookshelf behind where she had been standing. Her facial expression was one of horror. She was looking off to the side of where Kagome and Miroku were standing.

 

“Sango-chan?”

 

Miroku stared at her blankly. What was wrong with this girl?

 

Sango had backed as far as she could, and was beginning to cry.Her hands were shaking, and she was murmuring indistinctly. Every few words, Kagome heard the word “baboon” and “Kohaku.”

 

“Oh no…” Kagome gasped, figuring out what was going on.

 

“What's going on!?!” Miroku asked, “What's wrong with her!?!”

 

“It's happening again!!” she exclaimed in reply. She ran to Sango, grabbing her by her upper arms. She shifted Sango's body, but her eyes would not leave that one spot. “Sango-chan!!! Snap out of it!! Sango!!! Ignore him! SANGO!!”

 

Suddenly Sango screamed, shoving Kagome to the ground. She landed with a thud, knocking several books down. Sango continued screaming, ducking and covering her face. Kagome looked up at her from whre she had landed. There was nothing she could do. And she knew that. Two in one day, though?

 

Sango's screams died away and the library was left silent. Kagome might have worried that someone heard had they not been in such an isolated wing. She got up and ran to Sango. She had snapped out of the hallucination, and now was only having to recover all over again. Kagome wrapped her arms around Sango's neck, trying to calm her down.

 

“I'm so sorry, Sango-chan,” she said as she began crying too. “I'm so sorry.”

 

Miroku watched, completely and utterly lost. “Kagome-sama…may I ask - what just transpired here?”

 

Kagome looked up at Miroku. “You're not alone, Miroku.

 

“We're part of the curse, too.”

 

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“Both of you were dead this time,” Sango said coldly.

 

“Miroku-san was there, too?”

 

Sango nodded. Her face was still tear-stained. The image of her younger brother had still frightened her the most. He was so much scarier every time.

 

The trio was still sitting at the table in the library. Sango and Kagome sat on one side, Miroku faced them. Sango was clinging onto Kagome's clothes as if her life depended on it. (And in her state of mind, she probably thought it did.) Miroku sympathized with the crying Sango. He was still in shock that both Kagome and Sango were cursed like he was. He looked up at Kagome, half wondering what her part of the curse was. Then he noticed that she was crying as well.

 

“What's wrong, Kagome-sama? Why are you crying, too?'

 

Sango looked up, waiting for her to answer the monk's question. Because…

 

--It's your fault.--

 

Kagome shuttered. No…I can't tell them the truth…Kagome shook her head. There was a long pause. Sango was calming down, Miroku trying to think of what could be wrong with Kagome, and Kagome trying to think of saying to say to break the awkward silence.

 

“Your part,” Miroku began.

 

“Pardon me?”

 

“You're part of the curse, Kagome-sama. What is it?”

 

Sango silently began sobbing again into Kagome's robe.

 

“My part?”

 

Miroku nodded.

 

She sighed. She couldn't concentrate. All she could hear was Miroku's screams of pain and Sango's sobs. All that pain.. it was…

 

“My fault.”

 

“huh?” Miroku leaned in, not really getting what Kagome had just uttered.

 

“The curse…the reason you two have the curse. It's because of me.”

 

Sango sat up. “Kagome-chan? What are you talking about?That's ridiculous!”

 

“How can something like this be your fault?”

 

“It was that night…the night of my twelfth birthday…”

 

------

 

What's that? Who's there? Who ever you are, leave me alone…I'm trying to sleep.

 

Kagome held her eyes closed tighter, turning over, pulling most of the covers off of her friend.

 

--Pr…ince…ess…--

 

No…go away! Leave me alone…Kagome thought. What was it that was calling her? I want to sleep, please to away…

 

--Kaaaa…goooo…meeeee--

 

------

 

“I heard something from my bed room calling my name. And I followed it. It was the Shikon Jewel. I know it was. I found him there with it, too.”

 

“Found who?”

 

“The one that we know as the Great Youkai.”

 

Miroku and Sango both gasped.

 

“He was there, using the Shikon Jewel. Turns out he had been in the castle all along. Masquerading as my father's advisor.”

 

*GASP*

 

“What!!”

 

“Naraku!?!”

 

Kagome nodded. “Hai. Naraku. Turns out he's a hanyou. The dirty scoundrel had all the youkai ex—“ Kagome suddenly stopped talking.

 

“What is it, Kagome-chan?”

 

She thought for a moment. “I…I don't know, but…for some reason, that makes me very sad.”

 

Miroku stood up. “Well it should! I can't believe Naraku is the king's…”

 

“No, Miroku. I mean the youkai. When I think of them being exiled…I…I want to cry…” Kagome began choking up, but remembered she had a story to finish. “Anyway, Naraku held the jewel, but when I opened the door to the room he was in, I think it scared him, so he sent some evil youki energy at me. I don't think he knew who I was at first, that's why he was scared…”

 

-----

She put her hand on the door handle, breathing deeply several times and saying a quick prayer before gathering up enough courage to even think about opening the door. Finally, without putting too much thought into her actions, Kagome turned the handle and pushed the heavy door open with all her might. She gathered her balance and opened her eyes.

 

“Wench!” a deep voice yelled.

 

Kagome found the room full of pulsing demon bodies. She screamed louder than she ever knew she could. Suddenly, she saw a bright red demonic youki flying straight for her. The energy struck her body and she collapsed to her knees, still screaming, this time, in pain.

 

“You idiot! What are you doing here!”

 

Still in pain and surrounded by the youki, she looked up, looking for the source of the voice, one she vaguely recognized. She fell to the ground because of the amount of power she was using to try and keep the evil youki from entering her body. Finally, the demon energy fell from around her, exiting the room through the door that she had left open.

 

“FOOL!” the voice screamed again.

 

She weakly stood, hurting and scared, but finally found the owner of the voice.

 

She gasped. “Na…Naraku…”

 

The face looked like Naraku alright, but that was about all there was. His long, curly black hair, fell around him, drooped of the youkai body parts that sat all around them.

 

He chuckled, “Hai, you've guess right, my dear princess.”

 

“Wha---What are you doing? What's wrong with you!”

 

“Kagome-sama…”

 

“You're a demon! You trader!” she cried, “It was you that advised my father to banish all the youkai in the first place and you…” she couldn't seem to get any more words out.

 

“It is true that I am part demon, Kagome-sama. I am a hanyou.”

 

-----

 

Kagome recalled the event. “I was so scared. At first, I didn't know if it had ever really happened, but when I began seeing the effects in Sango, I knew that I had really done it.”

 

Sango and Miroku sat in silence, pondering over what Kagome had just told them. Kagome waited nervously for someone to say something…anything! Anything, that is, except that they hate her. She took off the ring that was around her finger and fiddled with it, having nothing else to say or do. When no one spoke, however, Kagome said the only thing she could think of - the only thing that she was thinking.

 

“I'm so sorry. I never—“

 

Miroku held up his hand to signal her to stop talking. “No matter what that Naraku tells you, Kagome-sama, it's not your fault.”

 

“But I can't help it,” Kagome said softly, beginning to cry. “It's my part of the curse.”

 

“How is that your part?”

 

“To see you and Sango. To watch those I care about be in pain and have no control over it. Someday…” she gulped entirely too hard. “Someday I will have to watch those that cursed die. I won't die. Nothing will ever happen to me physically. But I will suffer emotionally. That's my part.”

 

No words. Once again, silence followed.

 

“Say, why don't we get some more books and see what else we can find out! Huh? Sound like a plan?” Miroku proposed suddenly, no doubt trying to get there mind off of the heavy thoughts of the curse and put their feelings into action.

 

Sango sat up. “No, not really. I hate reading.”

 

“Yeah,” Kagome agreed. “I doubt we can find much more here that can give us what we need. We need to talk to people who know.”

 

Miroku leaned back in his chair. He appeared to be deep in thought. He reached over and grabbed the book that he had been reading about the Shikon no Tama. He opened it and skimmed over to where he had been reading. He said nothing out loud, just read. Then he nodded his head and pushed the book aside. “Why don't we…there's this village where Midoriko lived when she created the Shikon Jewel. I believe that we may be able to find some useful information there. It's a small farming village a few miles from the kingdom. Oh, but wait…”

 

“What, Miroku-san?”

 

He thought for a moment before continuing. “To get there…It's outside the kingdom. Quite a ways outside, and to get there we'd need someone to get us through the Youkai no Mori.”

 

“Well, Sango-chan is a demon-slayer!” Kagome offered, “She could get us through there.”

 

“Too dangerous. To get through completely safe, we would need much greater protection than that.”

 

“Perhaps old lady Kaede could help us out. She's always clever in things like that,” Sango piped up.

 

“Feeling better, Sango?” Miroku asked, astonished by her sudden recovery.

 

“A bit. If I can get my mind on other things then I will feel better sooner.”

 

“Let's go talk to Kaede then!” Kagome said, standing up.

 

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He turned the corner of the corridor. The wooden doors at the end of the hall stood open. That's odd…I wonder who left them open.

 

He made his way into the library, finding it empty, but there were still some books sitting on a table. “Who has been in here recently?” He sat down at the table and looked at the book that was sitting open. A picture of the Shikon Jewel caught his eye. The page was all about the jewel. He wondered who was that curious to learn about it. Then something else caught his eye. It was a ring sitting on the table next to the open book. He picked it up and moved it around in the light. It looked familiar.

 

Then he heard someone coming. He looked up at the door just in time to see Kagome walking in.

 

“I left it in here I think,” she said, walking in. She saw him sitting at the table. “Naraku!” she exclaimed.

 

He froze. Had SHE been the one searching these books?!

 

“I…ano…left my ring sitting on the table,” she stuttered. He held it out to her. She smiled awkwardly, taking the ring and running out of the room.

 

Naraku sat still for a moment. “That girl is getting to be too much trouble. If she learns too much about it…I might just have to rid the world of her.”

 

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Kagome, Miroku, and Sango exited the castle. Sango had stopped by her room and grabbed her Hiraikotsu since she'd left it there that morning. Miroku made sure he had his staff, and Kagome made sure they had a cover up for a little while since they would most likely not be back until after dark. Then they were set.

 

The priestess's house was on the castle grounds but detached and set in the woods. It wasn't that far of a walk, and Kagome remembered being there a couple of nights ago when she saw that strange boy…

 

“There's the house,” Kagome said, pointing at a small wooden cabin through the trees.

 

A sudden rustling in the bushes near by stole their attention away from the house. A man came running from the castle, in a seemingly panicked state.

 

“Kaede-sama! Kaede-sama!!!” he yelled.

 

Kagome, Sango, and Miroku glanced at each other. Then Kaede's door swung open. She stepped out, greeting the man.

 

“Aye, sir! What is wrong?”

 

“Kaede-sama! It's urgent! A terrible event has transpired!”

 

Kagome led the others up to Kaede as well, they all looked anxiously at the panic-stricken man.

 

“What has happened?”

 

“It's the Shikon no Tama - it's been stolen!!”

 

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A/N: Did you see that coming??