InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Heartless ❯ Awakening ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters from the anime/manga. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I suppose life would be easier if I made money by writing these stories, but unfortunately, I do not.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Special thanks to my wonderful betas Ai Kisugi and Hedanicree for picking this story to pieces and making it a much more bearable read!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

Warning: This chapter contains a scene which I'm not sure whether to call a lime or lemon. If you want to read the clean version, please use the following link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4590006/1/Heartless

 

 

`Thinking'

“Talking”

Dream or memories

 

 

 

Chapter 10: Awakening

 

 

 

Fifteen days … he said it could take more than a week, but honestly, Kagome wasn't expecting it to take this long.

 

`It has been fifteen days since he left.'

 

As the sun set over the sea, it became harder to see outside. She got up from her place in front of the window and slowly walked over to the bed. She felt tired, but as it had been for the last three nights, she did not expect sleep to come to her. Even the potion Lady Nobuko so adamantly made her drink every night did not help her sleep anymore. She was getting even more anxious by the minute. Why was it taking this long? Did something go wrong? Was he okay? Was he even alive?

 

She missed him immensely during his absence. It was astonishing how time changed things before you could sense it. Before he left, she had been so angry. Now, all she wanted was to feel his presence close.

 

She was also anxious to let him know that she had been able to tap into her powers while he was away. Well, actually, that was quite a new development but a development nonetheless. Once she had understood her feelings toward him, she had found it easier to clear her head, for she had felt at peace. The rest had been rather easy. Now, she was even able to sense the demonic auras around her. However, it was his aura she wondered about. What would it feel like?

 

She was startled when the door was suddenly opened. She looked up to see the young priestess, Emi, panting by the door. The poor girl gulped a few times before her face broke into a huge smile.

 

“They're back!” she exclaimed.

 

“What?” asked Kagome, confused.

 

“The soldiers! They're back! I heard the guards shouting about it!”

 

`Inuyasha! He's back!' Her eyes widened in realization, as a smile that rivaled the young girl's formed on her face. Without wasting another second, Kagome jumped to her feet and ran out the door after the girl.

 

When they passed the entrance of the main building and reached the steps that led to it, the woman was overwhelmed by the power of the demonic auras that rapidly approached from the gates. `Gods, they are so powerful.' Although she had been in the castle since she started sensing auras, she never had been close to a crowd of demons. Besides, the demons that left with Inuyasha were probably the strongest ones around, with the exception of Lord Sesshoumaru. He never left the castle, but she didn't even see him from afar in the last few days.

 

As Kagome watched, the demons filled the garden, cheered loudly by the ones that were left in the castle. She could see that there were more demons than the group that had left, which meant that the mission had been successful and they rescued the ones that had been captured.

 

Then, she saw him. Her heart jumped to her throat as she caught his eyes for a second. She took a step toward him, all the while wishing him to give her a sign, just one sign, so that she could find the courage to run to his arms like she wanted to do. Her heart fell to her stomach when he turned his eyes away from her.

 

He slowly made his way toward the main building, surrounded by several demons and demonesses asking him questions and congratulating him for his victory. As he approached where she stood by the door, she felt his aura caress hers. `God, so much power.' It felt so warm but so cold at the same time. She could feel he was agitated. `Why? Is he still angry with me?' Her question was answered when he passed by her without even a glance in her direction. She tried to push her disappointment away at his indifferent behavior toward her. It was obvious that she would have to be the one that made the first move if she wanted to tear down the wall that separated them.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Kagome had been waiting for hours in his room. One would think he would want to rest after a long journey. `What's he still doing out there? Why didn't he show up already?' As she sat there on a cushion by the table, her hands pulling on the hem of her skirt nervously, she couldn't help but wonder if he was deliberately stalling just to avoid meeting her. `Well, seeing the way he looked at me earlier, or rather, the way he did not look at me, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.'

 

Her pondering was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Her heart thundered in her chest as she looked up to see him standing by the door, his one hand forgotten on its frame. `He looks exhausted.' As she watched soundlessly, his tired eyes looked up from the floor, where they had been fixed to the empty futon. His eyes widened, and he sniffed the air a few times before his head snapped in her direction. His gaze was fixed on her for a few seconds, making her even more anxious, before he finally spoke.

 

“Why are you still awake?” he asked.

 

Trying to disregard the coldness in his voice, she stood up slowly and gave him a small smile. Her hands, which were clasped behind her, nervously tugged on the ties of her obi as she whispered, “I've been waiting for you.”

 

He sighed tiredly before turning his gaze away. “You shouldn't have.”

 

“Inuyasha.” Kagome didn't like the distance he was putting between them. She wanted to say or do something, anything that would bring him back. So, she took a step toward him but she recoiled when he stepped back, shaking his head.

 

“I have things to do. Don't wait up for me.” With that, he turned his back to her and was gone in the blink of an eye.

 

Kagome rushed to the door only to see that he was already out of sight. Feeling dejected, now that he hadn't even given her a chance to clear things up between them, she sighed and closed the door. He made it clear that it was going to be hard for her to make up with him. With a loud humph, she turned back to go to bed. She was sorry for what happened, yes, but his attitude was starting to get on her nerves as well. Why was he being so impossible? She was at least trying, wasn't she? What about him? What right did he have to behave like that? After all, it wasn't only her fault that they came to this point, was it? It was him that ruined the after-glow of their love-making in the first place.

 

Stopping in the middle of the room, Kagome nodded her head in determination, her fists clenched at her sides. She was going to get him to talk to her. She was going to make it in one way or the other, even if she had to force him somehow.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Kagome hurried down the hall after Inuyasha. There was a feast tonight in celebration of the latest victory of the demon army. Earlier in the day, she had been informed that she would be serving Lord Inuyasha during the feast. She had been angry at first, irritated by the fact that she was treated like a servant. Then, she reminded herself that this was the feudal era, and in this time and space, serving a high ranked lord, let alone a prince, was actually an honor, even for a noble woman. Besides, this could be her chance to melt the ice between them.

 

She was even happy when she found out what she was supposed to wear to the feast. She was covered with several layers of the softest fabric she had ever touched in her life. The outer kimono was the most elegant cloth she had ever seen. It was a rich green with red flowers on its skirts and on the hem of its arms. Her red obi was also of the finest silk. She let her hair be pulled up in an elegant bun, thinking that it would be more comfortable while performing her duties. She was delighted to see her normally blue eyes look as green as emeralds under the influence of her beautiful kimono.

 

Now, as she struggled to catch up with Lord Inuyasha, she wasn't happy about her clothes anymore. Being a modern woman, she was not used to wearing such constricting attire. It was true that she had been wearing traditional clothes since her second day in this world, but she never wore this many layers — not to mention that she never had to walk so fast in those clothes. She was having trouble keeping up with him, for her steps were as small as a child's. As for Inuyasha, he didn't seem to notice her trouble or maybe he just didn't care. So, she hastened her steps, but this time, she was risking falling flat on her face by stepping on her skirts. With an exasperated sigh, she decided to do what she needed to have done in the first place. She stopped, bent down and took a hold of her skirts. Then, she stood back up, hiking her skirts up with her, exposing her legs up to her lower thighs. Now she would be able to walk as fast as she liked. `Hah! Take that, you stupid clothes!'

 

When they entered the great hall where the feast was held, she was momentarily blinded by all the lights and colors adorning the large room. The place was so big, decorated with low tables and lots of comfortable looking cushions placed along three walls of the room, forming a u-shape. It seemed the feast had already begun, because the room was full of nobles enjoying their meal served by their mates or personal concubines and watching the show the dancing girls performed in the middle of the room.

 

In the following seconds, all the dancers and the music stopped, and everybody except Lord Sesshoumaru got up to salute their prince and general. Inuyasha inclined his head, beckoning them to continue, but instead of turning back to their festivities, all the eyes remained fixed on Kagome. She was surprised to see the curious looks directed on her and did not understand why at first. However, after the angry look she received from Inuyasha, she realized that she was still holding her skirts, exposing an indecent amount of her legs. Upon this realization, she turned beet red and quickly let her skirts go. She ducked her head down under the insistent gaze of the obviously angry man before her and moved to follow him when he finally decided to take his place next to his brother at the head of the table.

 

Kagome sat on a cushion to his right and a step back like all the other women. He signed her to fill his cup with sake with his hand, his face never turning to her. While she checked out the other women for the right things to do, her eyes met Lady Rin's, who was serving her mate. The lady of the house gave her a small smile as she inclined her head slightly at the nervous woman, indicating that she was doing fine.

 

As she returned to her duties, she heard Lord Sesshoumaru speak.

 

“Pleasant evening, brother?”

 

“You can say that,” muttered Inuyasha in response.

 

And that was it. Honestly, these two were brothers, weren't they? Obviously, neither of them liked to chat during their dinner.

 

After he was finished eating, Lord Sesshoumaru stood up, immediately followed by Rin. “I think it's time for us to leave.”

 

Inuyasha made no move, except for the small nod he gave.

 

Apparently surprised, Sesshoumaru raised one eyebrow at his brother. “You are staying?”

 

“Yes.”

 

His eyebrow still raised, the mighty lord glanced at Kagome for a second before looking back at his brother. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sighing, the lord turned to leave. “Do as you wish. Come, Rin.” As they left the great hall, she saw some of the other demon lords leave with their mates. Right after their exit all the concubines stood up and left the hall as well. She looked at Inuyasha for a sign, but he didn't look at her or say anything, so she stayed where she was. Her eyes widened as she saw a new group enter the hall — a group of scarcely clothed young women.

 

While she tried to process what she was seeing, the men started signaling to the women, and every woman walked toward the man that summoned her. She watched with dread in her heart when the women sat on the men's laps and started serving them sake and fruits while ogling their breasts in the men's faces. Most of the men plunged their faces in the women's breasts and started fondling their other assets instead of taking the offered sake or fruit. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed Inuyasha signaling to someone. To her horror, a beautiful woman with long shapely legs started walking toward him, her big breasts bouncing in front of her with each step she took.

 

Now what? Was she supposed to just sit there and watch while he made out with some whore? Did he really expect her to bear such a scene? And more importantly, did he think he could touch another woman while she was alive? `Oh, no. No, you won't!'

 

In the blink of an eye, Kagome grabbed a branch of grapes and sat herself unceremoniously on his lap. She smiled when his eyes widened and his mouth opened in a gasp. Without losing her advantage, she put a piece of grape in his still open mouth and placed a small kiss on the tip of his nose. It gave her immense satisfaction to see that she was capable of rendering him helpless with a small intimate jest as he did to her since the day they met. If it was possible, she was even more satisfied when she felt him jerk his hand to make the other woman go back to where she came from.

 

Her mission successfully completed, she gave him a heart stopping smile, and made a move to get off his lap. She found herself glued to her spot, however, with his arms suddenly around her waist. She gave him a curious look, but he just smirked at her and said nothing. Then, faster than she could understand what was happening, he made her straddle his lap, the inner layers of her outfit hiking up her thighs, her outer kimono being the only thing hiding her legs from view. While she was busy trying to decipher her new position, he buried his face into her neck and slowly licked his way up to her ear. “You don't think you can pull a stunt like that and get off that easily, do you?” he whispered in her ear, making her shiver with the soft waves of his hot breath on her sensitive skin.

 

Before she could catch her breath, his mouth was back on her neck, and his hand was moving up her thigh under her kimono. She was so aroused already; she wouldn't be able to move her legs or arms to try and get up or stop him even if she wanted to. `Gods, how does he do that?! I should stop him. I should get up. There are people around. I should …' Her brain stopped when his fangs grazed an especially sensitive spot on her throat that she didn't knew existed, and he thrust his hips upwards slowly, letting her feel the large bulge in his pants. Unable to control her actions anymore, she gave a silent moan, making him smirk against her ear, giving her a new wave of shivers. Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt him tear her panties slowly with his deadly claws.

 

Panicking, Kagome forced his head up to look her in the eyes with fear in hers. She shook her head to let him know that what he was doing was wrong, but he just stared back at her with lust-filled eyes. Her heart skipped a beat the moment his fingers came in contact with the naked skin of her lower lips. A small voice in the back of her mind insistently reminded her that they were in the wrong place for such intimacy, but it was killed with the smallest touch of his magical fingers on her most sensitive spot. Her breath came out in short gasps as he unmercifully played with that small bundle of nerves while his other arm around her waist refused to let her move even in the smallest inch. Their eyes still locked, he placed one finger inside her secret place and started slowly pumping her while he continued his assault on her pleasure spot. The feeling was so overwhelming that she had to bite her lips to stop herself from moaning loudly. She was so close, she thought she would die if he stopped what he was doing before she could reach it. She didn't need to worry about that for a long time, though, for the next instant she was shaking uncontrollably on his lap and around his finger. She buried her face in his neck and clasped her teeth around a small part of his skin to keep herself from screaming in ecstasy.

 

She stayed like that until she was able to breathe normally again. She was vaguely aware of the vibrations coming from his chest, helping her to calm down. When she raised her head to look at his face, she was met with an impossibly bright golden gaze filled with unsatisfied lust. For a moment, she feared he would just pull down his hakama and take her right then and there. To her relief, he didn't do that, but what he did was equally disturbing and ironically, arousing. Never breaking his eye contact with her, he pulled his fingers out from where they had still been buried deep within her and made a show of slowly licking them in front of her face.

 

Mortified with embarrassment, Kagome buried her face back in his neck and stayed like that while her tears dampened his clothes and naked skin.“Why did you do that?” she whispered between silent hiccups.

 

Inuyasha didn't answer but hugged her with both arms, hiding her from view with his large sleeves. He must have regretted making her cry because he started growling soothingly while one of his hands caressed her hair. That was the most affectionate jest he had done since the night before he left, and she instantly felt better and stopped crying. He had made her experience one of the most degrading moments of her life, but oddly, she felt an unbelievable comfort in his embrace. It felt like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she was safe from everything and everybody else in the world.

 

Unfortunately, the moment lasted much shorter than she wished for because Inuyasha was called out by one of the troops. When he didn't make a move, he was told it was urgent.

 

“My lord, there is a fight outside. We need your help,” said the soldier.

 

“Dammit! Can't you find someone else?”

 

“You're the only one around, my lord. Lord Sesshoumaru has already retired for the night.”

 

Sighing and letting a string of curses fall out of his lips in the process, he placed her on her cushion like she was a little child with a solemn expression on his face. “Wait for me here,” he commanded. Before she could utter a word, he was gone.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Daichi leaned back in his seat to have a better look at the woman that caught his eye the moment she entered the hall following Lord Inuyasha. At first he thought that she belonged to the general, seeing that she was serving him, so he kept his eyes away. After all, none of the demons in this castle, including himself, was stupid enough to mess with the fearsome heir of Lord Sesshoumaru. But when he realized what he was doing with her … No one would treat their mates or personal concubines in such a way in public, and surely the general knew that. The fact that he did it only showed that the girl was a common whore, just like the others in the room.

 

She'd been sitting alone for a while. Would it be so bad if he tried his chance? He would at least see if she would go along with it. He wasn't a prince himself, true, but he too was a noble lord and a powerful one at that. What whore would refuse him? Besides, he could see that he wasn't the only one that wanted her. From the lustful glances he had seen a few of the other demons sending her way, he could guess they were thinking about the same thing as well. He couldn't blame them. Which healthy demon with a sense of smell wouldn't want her after that scent she gave off in the general's lap? That scent — He could still smell it. He could also smell Lord Inuyasha on her, but that was to be expected if he had his way with her. And now, he was gone, leaving the girl up for grabs.

 

Not wanting to waste his chance, Daichi stood up and made his way toward the girl before any of the other demons could. She looked up at him when he stood next to her, a curious look in her eyes.

 

“Would you like to join me?” he asked.

 

“J-join you?” She looked confused at first. Then, as understanding dawned on her, she turned beet red. “Oh, t-thank you, but I'd rather not.”

 

He did not know if she was playing coy or not, but he decided he liked that blush. “I insist.”

 

“P-please.” She turned her head to look at her lap. “I don't want to.”

 

“I don't think you understand your position here, woman. You can't refuse a lord when you're asked something.” With that, he reached to hold her chin so that he could make her look at him in the eyes.

 

He smelt it before he felt it, that metallic scent laced with the general's own wafted through his nose less than a second before the cold steel of the formidable great fang was lying in front of his neck, dangerously close to cutting his head off. He froze where he stood, his hand still extended toward the girl who looked quite frightened. From the corner of his eye, he could see the clawed hand holding the Tetsusaiga slightly trembling, his owner apparently having a hard time holding himself back from decapitating him. He could feel the anger radiating from the man behind him in waves. Then, he heard the general hiss in his ear loudly, making sure that every demon in the room could hear his words clearly.

 

“Touch her once, and you'll never touch a thing again.”

 

`Shit!' Daichi swore in his head for his untimely audacity. Why didn't he think twice? Well, after the way the general treated her … But, he should have known better. He should have thought about this possibility when nobody else tried to make a move on her. He knew many others thought about doing the same thing, but he had been the only moron in the room that had the audacity to do it. It turned out that the girl belonged to the general after all. And, he was pissed. Now what?

 

Hoping against hope that it would work, he slowly retreated his hand back, as he bent his head in submission. He heard the general growl, followed by a gasp from the girl. When he felt the great fang nick his skin, the half-demon's name fell out of the girl's lips in a frightened whisper.

 

The next instant, Daichi found himself on the floor. He breathed in and out rapidly a few times to make sure that he was still alive. When he did, he gulped the lump in his throat loudly. For a moment there, he really thought that he was a goner. He looked up only to get a glimpse of the girl and the prince exiting of the hall in a blur.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Kagome struggled not to fall as his unyielding hold on her wrist forced her to catch up with him. Although she asked him to slow down, he paid her no mind. She had been so scared when that demon came to her, telling her that she had to serve him as well, and even more when Inuyasha showed up. She had actually felt his aura flare and seen his eyes flash red for an instant. He had showed such rage, causing his normally beautiful face to turn into something frightening. She had really thought he would kill that demon right in front of her eyes.

 

She didn't understand what Inuyasha was trying to do. It had been him who treated her like she was one of the whores in the room, and he was getting angry when others did the same. And now, he was treating her as if she was at fault. She didn't do a thing for God's sake!

 

Before Kagome knew it, they were in his room. Walking to stand in the middle of the room, she turned back to see him closing the door. She folded her arms in front of her chest, her face a mixture of anger and disbelief. He stood there for a second, his hand lingering on the closed door, his head bent down. Then, he turned around and slowly raised his head to look at her, his eyes full of ... remorse? Was he regretting the things he had done? And, if he was, did he expect her to disregard his behavior simply because he felt sorry for it? `Oh no, not this time.' This time, he had gone too far.

 

He took a hesitant step toward her and opened his mouth to say something, only to close it back when no words came out. With an exclamation of `Fuck,' he raised both of his hands to trail his fingers in his hair none too gently and then he started pacing back and forth. After a few turns, he abrubtly stopped in his strides and turned toward her, his hands falling back to his sides. She raised one eyebrow as if to say `What?' He opened and closed his mouth a few times, and in the end, all that he was able to say was “Dammit!” Then, he whirled back and stormed out of the room.

 

Her mouth agape, she watched him disappear, almost breaking the door down as he closed it with too much force. `What was that?!'

 

 

~*~

 

 

He watched from his place by the door with a little jealousy in his gut as the lords enjoyed the sake and fruit that filled the tables in abundance. No need to mention the women that jumped from one's lap to another's, letting their assets be exposed to hungry eyes and lecherous hands. Being a simple guard, he was always on duty during these feasts. Often times, he wished he was one of the lords so that he could enjoy the blessings of life after having an exciting battle far away from this castle, where he spent most of his days. He sighed dreamily as the image of himself being cheered by beautiful women, human and demon alike, while Lord Sesshoumaru congratulated him for his victory in the last mission he lead popped into his head. Now, who wouldn't want that?

 

He jumped as he was brought back from the dreamland by the rather sudden appearance of the one person in whose shoes he had been dreaming himself. Before he could salute the half-demon prince, he made his way to the head of the table, his long and fast strides a sign of his anger. He watched as the lord took his seat and started filling his cup with sake. He downed the liquid in one gulp and filled the cup again. The guard's eyes widened in horror as the lord repeated this ritual too many times to count, not even stopping to breathe. This was so unlike the general he knew. What was wrong with him? `Is he trying to drown himself in sake?' After giving the few demons that tried to approach him a nasty look, the lord pushed his cup away with the back of his hand, only to continue drinking right from the bottle. `Yes, he probably is.'

 

What could have made him so desperate to get drunk? Well, who knew? He was a lord, a general and a prince. His life probably had too many complications that a simple guard could not even dream about. Watching his beloved general break down in front of his eyes, being a simple guard suddenly seemed to be a good thing, after all.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Late at night, Kagome woke up hearing shouting voices from the hall. She slowly sat up in bed, trying to understand what was going on outside.

 

“My lord, please, calm down,” pleaded Lady Nobuko's soft voice. Who was she talking to? And at this time of night?

 

“No! I'm done with waiting!” She gasped as she heard Inuyasha's voice. He sounded so angry...

 

“Please, my lord.” That was Hiromi, the mind-reader.

 

“Please, what?! Don't you see?! This is killing me! Do something already!” bellowed Inuyasha.

 

What was wrong with him now? Surely, he hadn't been in the best of moods when he had left her in his room and stormed out, or more likely, run out of the room. But, she had never heard him shout like that before. It was like he had lost all control. She stood up and walked toward the door to hear them more clearly. Just as she took a few steps, she stopped, hearing Nobuko speak again.

 

“We've done what we can. We cast the spell on her. She's been drinking the potion for a long time now. The spell will take effect soon.”

 

She felt dizziness come over her. It was obvious they were talking about her. She was the only one they made drink that potion, wasn't she? `B-but, a s-spell? They cast a spell on me?! What kind of spell?!' Before she could ponder more, she heard Inuyasha shout once again.

 

“That's what you said before I left! Tell me when!”

 

“Soon. Just a little more patience, my lord,” begged Hiromi.

 

“Patience? I have no patience left!” he yelled. “I want my mate back! This one's just a shell of her! Just looking at her drives me crazy!”

 

`... mate ... a shell of her ...' As his last words swirled in her head, she realized what kind of spell they were talking about. Not being able to stand anymore, she fell to her knees, her unseeing eyes fixed at the door. They were trying to bring Kikyo back.

 

`God, oh, God.' Lady Keiko had been right from the beginning, after all. `God, how could I be so blind?' Everybody had warned her about him, hadn't they? `Why didn't I listen to them?' She could have asked. Rin would have told her, wouldn't she? But, she hadn't. She hadn't asked a thing of anyone since she had come here. Why? She knew why. Because, she was afraid to hear the same things again. She didn't want to believe. After all those years she had spent in confusion, she finally found something she knew for sure. Yes, there had been questions in her mind, but her heart knew. Her heart knew from the moment she had met him that she loved him. Now, she was paying for her ignorance.

 

Kagome jumped as the door opened with a loud cracking noise. Before she could even gasp, she found herself being forced to stand by two large hands on her upper arms. His eyes were tinted with red as the tips of his claws stung to her arms.

 

“Who are you!”

 

She could smell the alcohol in his breath as he shouted in her face. “You're hurting me!”

 

“Hurting?” He chuckled darkly, sending tremors up and down her spine. Her knees buckled in fear when he hissed in a venomous voice, his eyes reflecting all the madness that she failed to notice he had before. “You don't even know the meaning of hurt.”

 

Not wanting to see his face in that contorted state any longer, she closed her eyes tightly and tried to pry his hands off of her arms futilely. “Stop it!”

 

“No!” As the sound of his voice raised with his anger, he shook her harshly, obviously trying to get her to open her eyes. “Not until you tell me who the hell you are!”

 

Keeping her eyes closed, she shook her head, all the while struggling to get out of his grip. “No!”

 

He shook her again, his voice ringing in her ears as he shouted, “Who are you?!”

 

“What do you want me to say?” she whispered shakily.

 

“Tell me who you are!”

 

As he shook her again, he lost his grip on one of her arms, no wonder due to his drunk state. Seeing her chance and fed up with his obsession to have his lover back through her, she shouted back what she needed to say in the first place, “I'm not your mate, you bastard! I'll never be!”

 

With that, she slapped him with all the force she had left in her. He was already having trouble keeping his balance. As she watched in horror, he fell to the ground and immediately passed out. Tears flowing down her cheeks, she kneeled next to his unmoving form. It was disconcerting how his features changed in mere seconds. A moment ago, the rage on his face frightened her to the core. Now, now he looked so innocent, but she knew better.

 

She knew it. Kagome knew that she loved him with all her heart. She would gladly spend the rest of her life by his side if he wanted. But, it was't Kagome he wanted. All he wanted from her was his former lover, and that fact was not going to change no matter how hard she tried.

 

She had to get away from him. She had to run away as far as she could. `But, how far would be far enough?' She knew that wherever she went, he would find her eventually. Was there even a place where he could not reach her?

 

`Home.'

 

Yes, home. She did have a home, didn't she? `A home, where he can't follow me.' She had to get out of this world and stay away from him even if it killed her in the end. There was no doubt that she would be dead if she stayed. Her own emotions would kill her, even if he did not.

 

Her hands trembled and her heart cried out in anguish as she reached for the necklace.

 

 

End of Chapter 10