InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Haunted ❯ Of Love and Hate - A Conflicted Soul ( Chapter 11 )

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

Chapter 11: Of Love and Hate... A Conflicted Soul

Inuyasha approached the woman standing with her back to him, keeping Kagome safely behind him. Stopping about fifteen feet away, he waited for her to acknowledge them, remaining silent. After a moment, Kikyou turned towards him and raised her brow when she saw who was with him.

"Inuyasha. I was not aware that I had summoned Kagome. I expected only you to respond." She looked at her. "Leave, girl. You have no business here."

Inuyasha studied the woman standing before him. She was a commanding presence, but she no longer had a hold over him. The hell of it was, if she hadn't summoned Kichiro to this place, and tried to separate him from Kagome, he would probably still be under her spell.

But he was finally free of her - and she had only herself to blame.

"I don't think so, Kikyou. I don't take orders from you. And neither does Kagome. Oh, and remember this, 'cause I won't say it again," he said, still in a calm voice, "her name is Kagome, not 'girl' or 'copy', or anything else you feel like calling her. Speak of her with respect, or not at all. I will not say this again."

Kikyou's eyes had widened during this speech.

Inuyasha has never spoken to me this way... what's happening? Damn the girl anyway, what has she said to him to make him act this way towards me?

Kagome almost choked. Inuyasha was defending her? To Kikyou?? Wow.

'Of course I am, baka wench. Youare my mate, how long is it going to take to get it through your stubborn head? No one is allowed to insult or hurt you!

Kagome felt warmth wash over her from the link in her mind, soothing her and calming her fears. As her heart rate slowed, she looked around Inuyasha at Kikyou, but wasn't prepared for the venomous look the priestess was giving her.

What is this? Their attitudes are as if they are speaking... but they aren't. At least, not out loud. So what...?

Kikyou saw the girl peek out from behind Inuyasha, and glared, trying to intimidate the wretch.

"So, Kagome," she said sarcastically, "what spell have you put on him? There must be something, for him to defend you against me." She smirked. "And why do you hide behind him? Come out and face me, since you interrupted here where you have no place!"

Inuyasha put his arm out, keeping Kagome behind him. "No, Kagome. You will stay behind me. That's an order." He looked at Kikyou. "Kagome is here because I say she belongs here, but I'll do the talking. Now, I want to know what the hell you were thinking when you summoned that bastard Kichiro here." He glared at Kikyou, the mention of that fucker enough to start getting him irate all over again.

"Did you really think I would let anyone take Kagome away? How stupid are you, Kikyou? You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"

"How dare you speak to me that way, Inuyasha! Have you forgotten how I died? You owe me your life, and I will have it!" she hissed.

"No, Kikyou. I owe you vengeance, nothing more. Why should I owe you my life? What did I do to harm you? That was Naraku, in case you've forgotten." Inuyasha's eyes flashed. "It's taken me a long damn time to figure it out, but if I owe you my life, then you owe me yours. The only mistake I made was in not trusting you. And I was hardly the only one with a lack of trust that day, now was I?"

He laughed, an angry, bitter sound, as Kikyou stared at him, eyes wide. "All this time, you've been playing me along, causing no end of complications in my life, and I was the fucking baka who let you do it. But this time you went too far. You threatened Kagome, and in a way that I couldn't help but find out about. I will not forgive you this time or ignore it, Kikyou."

Kikyou stared at Inuyasha, unsure of herself for the first time since she had been resurrected.

"Inuyasha... is that girl really more important to you than I am?" This had often worked before, she hoped it still would.

She was totally unprepared for the answer she got.

"Yes, Kikyou. She is."

Hearing Kagome suck in a breath behind him, and Kikyou's dismayed gasp before him, he laid it all out on the line.

"I've taken Kagome as my lifebonded mate, Kikyou. There is nothing you, or that bastard Kichiro can do to ever take her away from me now. I love her, and I always will. In fact, I started falling for her within days of meeting her. The only reason we weren't mated long ago was your resurrection, and that only because I felt so guilty about your death, not because of love."

Inuyasha was breathing harshly now, anger at what Kikyou had done getting the better of him.

"And if you ever try to hurt her again, I won't think twice about sending you back to the land of the dead. Are we clear?"

Kikyou could not move. Everything had just fallen down around her ears, and there was nothing she could do. He was right. Apparently she had pushed too far. She felt angered that Kichiro had even picked up on it, and she had been too blinded by arrogance to see it.

"I see. So... I guess this means that when my time to go to hell comes, I will be making the journey alone. Again. Ironic, is it not, Kagome?" She laughed, harshly, at herself and the mess her life had become.

"My reincarnation you may be, but you are not following in my footsteps anymore, are you? How could you let yourself be tied to a hanyou? Why didn't you demand he become human?"

At that, Kagome stepped forward, only stopping at Inuyasha's warning growl. "Submit, Kagome. Do as I told you and stay back. I don't trust her not to try to harm you."

Kagome's eyes widened, and she stepped back, lowering her head in submission as he had asked. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but I can't just ignore that - I have to say something!"

"Alright... but stay behind me."

"Okay," she said, smiling softly at him.

His growling stopped. Noticing Kikyou's stunned expression, he laughed, his first genuine laugh since this confrontation had started.

"What? Amazed that there is a woman out there that would take me as her mate, not only that, but treat me with respect? Did you think you were the only person in the world to deserve respect? And why? Because you were a pure priestess?" he spat.

Now his laughter became mocking as he watched Kikyou stumble back in shock, shaking her head in denial.

"So is Kagome, and her soul is far more pure than yours ever was," he huffed. "She treats everyone like they're worthy of love and respect... in other words, she judges by deeds, not by what you are."

Gesturing at her soul collectors, he said softly, "Even you, Kikyou. Kagome has never tried to judge you, a dead woman that steals souls to maintain a half-life. She's even saved you several times. Do you honestly think you're better than her? Or me? I may be a hanyou, but I've finally learned to accept myself as I am, and it's all thanks to Kagome. I don't need to be a full demon, and I don't need to be a human, because Kagome loves me as I am. It's too bad you couldn't. But you know... I don't regret that, because then I wouldn't have met her."

Kagome couldn't believe the things he had said, things she had always hoped he would figure out someday, if she just waited long enough. And he finally had. Much of the pain that he had caused her over the last three years, because of the woman standing in front of him, was erased like it had never existed.

Kami, so much hurt, taken away, healed. Thank you, Inuyasha.

He glanced back at her and sighed, a wry expression settling on his face. "Your welcome, wench. I meant every word, too. I'm sorry it took so long to figure it out."

Kagome turned and glared at Kikyou. "As for you, Kikyou," she spat, "how could you even ask me such a question? Why wouldn't I be with Inuyasha as he is? He doesn't need to be human, or youkai, he needs to be himself - he needs to be Inuyasha. I love him just the way he is, and I would never ask him to change."

She studied the woman in front of her for a few moments, pity clear in her eyes.

"Didn't you know, Kikyou," she finally asked, shaking her head at the woman who had been so blind, "it's not love if you have to change the person? That's how I finally figured it out. You never really did love him... or you'd never have asked him to be something he isn't."

Kikyou shook her head at Kagome, denying her words, and held out her hand towards Inuyasha, taking a step forward. "Inuyasha--"

He stepped back. "Don't touch me, Kikyou. I don't allow any other females to touch me anymore. As I don't allow any other males to touch Kagome. We won't speak again. I'll still destroy Naraku, for his betrayal and for causing your death. But that's it. Go, and be at peace, but never come near me, or my mate again."

Turning, he took Kagome's hand and walked away, making sure his woman was protected in front of him, leaving Kikyou standing alone in the moonlight.

She stared at his retreating back, absently noting how gracefully he moved. He always had, she remembered. It was one of the first things she had noticed about him.

Moving slowly, as if she had suddenly become old, she looked once more at the man she had spent part of her life, and all of her death, obsessing about, then walked away in the opposite direction. She knew they were right, despite his beauty and grace as a hanyou, she had never accepted him as himself.

Truth be told, she had feared his claws and fangs, had always been nervous when he would touch her. Kagome had never had that fear or mistrust of him. She didn't even fear his youkai blood, knowing full well it was dangerous, she still loved him.

She has always loved him, and loved both sides of his nature, something I would never have been able to do. Maybe that's why I died back then, and he didn't. Maybe he himself was more pure than I...

And isn't that a good laugh? A hanyou with more purity of heart than a Miko.

She chuckled, then, a sick, sad sound, one that lingered in the air as she passed into the shadows... a wraith, a ghost... something that should not still be walking in the land of the living.

---sSs---

As they moved away from Kikyou, Inuyasha moved to Kagome's side, taking her hand in his. She was quiet, and he could feel her thinking through the link. He glanced over at her, and his lips quirked up at the sight of such fierce concentration. She had no idea how adorable she looked.

"Something you'd like to share, koishii?" he asked softly.

She looked up at him. It was so dark, she really couldn't see his face, all she could see were his beautiful golden eyes faintly glowing.

"Just still trying to take in everything you said tonight, Inuyasha. I've really never heard you talk like that, almost formally - even despite the cursing." She smiled. "Normally, your much more - well, lets just say, relaxed, in your speech."

"Keh. I told you, that useless title of lord. I was taught more formal modes of speech, I just don't see the need to talk like that among our pack. Or at almost any other time, either." He grinned suddenly.

"I'll give it this much, though, it sure is effective when I wanna piss someone off, and it's great for reprimanding someone and making them feel stupid." She almost jumped at the laughter that rang out.

"I've used it on Sesshoumaru a few times... it really pisses him off when I talk to him like that. Another reminder that I have the same blood as he does."

Kagome giggled at the picture that suddenly came through the link, she would love to see it in person, and then she remembered that she was probably going to get the chance if he was serious about taking her and presenting her to the Inu clan.

"Yeah. I'm serious. I really don't have a choice, Kagome." He sighed. "If it was up to me, I'd just ignore the whole thing. What do I care about all those old bastards anyway? But if I don't, sooner or later Sesshoumaru will come looking for us, as much as he hates me, he's a stickler for the rules, and thems the rules." He glanced at her again.

"But don't worry. We have a year in which to do it, so it's not like I'm in any rush. We'll do it when we're ready."

"Okay... I'm not really angry about it, or anything, just annoyed you never mentioned any of this in the three years I've known you." She rolled her eyes at him. "Not really something you should neglect to tell your mate, you know, I might think you're trying to keep secrets, or something." She looked up, spotting the fire from their cave, and started hurrying up towards it, carefully skirting the larger rocks.

"Hurry, Inuyasha. I'm really tired, and very ready for sleep."

Inuyasha reached over and swept her up in his arms, then leapt upwards, and in two or three bounds, reached the mouth of the cave. "Silly wench, if you were that tired you shoulda just told me, and I'd have carried you all the way back!" He grinned at his mate.

"I'm a lot faster than you, ya know, so we wouldn't have wasted precious sleeping time on walking!"

"Inuyasha!" she growled, in the tone of voice she usually reserved for the sit command. But all she did was tug on one of his ears and growl again.

"Welcome back, you two. I take it things went well?" asked Miroku, smiling slightly at them.

"Yeah. Kikyou won't be a problem anymore, if she knows what's good for her. She knows how I feel about what she's pulled." He sighed as he sank to the floor, still holding Kagome, and arranged her comfortably on his lap. "I warned her about ever trying to harm Kagome again."

Sango stared hard at him. "Did you tell her about making Kagome your mate?"

"Geez, Sango, get outta my ass! Of course I did. Whatd'ya think, I'd keep it a damn secret? Shit." He shook his head, looking disgusted.

"Don't worry, Sango. Inuyasha told her a lot of things," Kagome said, snuggling happily into her mate's chest. "He healed a lot of the pain of the last few years, and I'm glad he took me with him. I needed to hear some of those things."

"Good. It's about damn time. Anyway, I'm going to sleep now that you two are safely back. I know we have an early start so, goodnight everyone," she said, as she rolled herself up in her blanket.

"Yes, sleep sounds good, I think I'll follow your lead, Sango." This from Miroku. "I can relax now that you two are back."

Inuyasha just sighed again, perfectly content right where he was at, Kagome already half asleep in his arms. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply of her sweet scent, and then allowed himself to drift off.