InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ How Do We Learn to Love the Ones We Hate? ❯ The Strength of Pain caused by Love ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I own absolutely no characters created by Rumiko Takahashi; as much as I wish I was brilliant enough to come up with these characters, I did not; however, any characters that I create, I do own. Yay! I'm smart enough to make up characters.

 

THE BLACK MAGIC SIBLINGS HAVE A VERY SMALL PART, DON'T STOP READING BECAUSE OF THEM! I ONLY CREATED THEM BECAUSE NO TAKASHI CHARACTER FIT THE PART WELL ENOUGH! THAT'S WHY THEY'RE ALL SO ALIKE, BECAUSE THEY'RE SERIOUSLY INSIGNIFICANT! DON'T STOP READING BECAUSE OF THEM!

 

The Strength of Pain caused by Love

 

Kagome was in some of Ayame's furs because she had nothing in her wardrobe but dresses, compliments of her mother; she was at the moment on Inuyasha's back, her hand tightly encasing Myoga so he couldn't run away. Koga, Ayame, Shippo and Rin were right next to them, Miroku on Shippo's back and Rin on Koga's back because she didn't want to be within two miles of Shippo, but since she was forced to, she spent the whole time clinging tightly to Koga and staring at the trees on her other side.

 

“How much farther Myoga?” Kagome yelled through her hand.

 

“Their lair is in the black mountains, the south side.” Came the muffled squeak from in between her fingers. Kagome looked up and gasped, looming over them was an enormous range of mountains, literally black, even in the bright red evening sun.

 

“Myoga says their lair is in the south side of those mountains.” Kagome shouted over the rushing wind and shook her head to get her hair out of her face.

 

“Which one?” Koga shouted. “There are at least fifteen mountains in that range!” he pointed to fifteen black mountains. “And I'm only counting what I can see from this side of the range!” he added, choking as Shippo looked at Rin and she gripped Koga's throat tightly in anger.

 

“Ayame, Koga, Rin!” Inuyasha yelled in an attempt to keep Koga alive. “Go ahead and see if you can find them by their scent!”

 

“I'll try, but the entire range might be saturated with their scent.” Koga sped off, leading a whirlwind that was right on his heels; Ayame was following right behind with a whirlwind filled with leaves behind her, a sack of extremely valuable gems and jewels to give Korika for curing Rin on her back.

 

Shippo picked up his pace a little until he was next to Inuyasha and Kagome and sighed heavily. “Myoga said blood offerings, do you think they'll really take jewels?”

 

“Who knows.” Inuyasha said flatly, but Kagome gave him a sympathetic smile before snapped back against Inuyasha's back when he jumped off a ten-foot cliff to keep on towards the mountains.

 

“I smell a demon.” Inuyasha announced.

 

“No crap.” Shippo muttered. “Their scent and aura has been everywhere for the past five miles or so.” Inuyasha gave him a hard glare.

 

“Hang on tight.” Inuyasha yelled to Kagome before he started leaping from rock to rock up the 80 degree incline of the cliffs, Kagome spotted Ayame waving at the top.

 

“You found them?” Shippo yelled and turned into a huge floating pink blob to get to the top faster. Kagome yelped and had to bring her hand up to her mouth and bit down hard on her flesh of her thumb so as not to scream out as the unbelievably strong demonic aura hit her like a slap in the face; it burned everywhere that wasn't covered by clothing, and her skin that was covered felt cold and damp, like she had stepped into a pond that separated this life and the afterlife.

 

“There.” Koga pointed to the bottom of the mountain in the center of the range, where a cave was flickering with the light of a flame; the lower part of the mountain range was covered in a thick cold grey mist, making it impossible to see for human eyes.

 

“Don't worry, demons can see perfectly in this, so even a half demon should be able to see.” Koga said smugly, Inuyasha growled and took a swipe at him, but he easily jumped away; Rin tightened on Koga's throat again as he landed near Shippo, making him choke and have to reach up to pry her hands away from his esophagus.

 

“Rin.” Kagome said, using her best warning voice no her friend, but Rin merely scowled and looked away.

 

“Lets go.” Ayame said in a clipped voice, obviously unnerved about the situation, but she started racing down the other side of the cliff anyway and presently disappeared into the mist; Inuyasha, and Koga started after her while Shippo took a flying leap off the side and plummeted into the mist, Kagome guessed he landed lightly because of his agility as a fox demon and because there was very little sound as he landed.

 

Inuyasha set Kagome down a few feet from the entrance of the cave and pushed her behind him, using his hand in hers as almost a barrier between her and whatever was inside.

 

“Hello?” Ayame called softly.

 

“Louder Ayame.” Koga scoffed. “Like this.” He stepped forward and sucked in a huge breath. “ANYONE HOME?!”

 

The humans' hands shot to their ears so as to block out his unbelievably loud voice, while Shippo and Inuyasha stuck their pinkies in their ears when he was done and twisted them so as to try to get rid of the ringing that was caused by the echo.

 

“Look.” Ayame pointed to the far wall, where a shadow of a woman in a dress was growing larger.

 

She stepped out in front of them and knocked the males off their feet, because the only thing Kagome could compare her beauty to was a siren; she had gorgeous black wavy hair just past her shoulders, porcelain white skin and the darkest blue eyes. “Who calls?” Her voice echoing softly around the cave walls was like the sound of song birds to someone who had only heard construction sounds their entire lives, it was enchanting; Miroku would have stepped up to her and asked her to bear his child if she had not been so terrifying.

 

“Who calls?” she repeated, more sternly, irritated by the time they were taking.

 

“We're here to see Korika.” Kagome stepped forward, but Inuyasha pulled her behind him again as the woman gave Kagome one of the coldest glares she had ever seen.

 

“Your reasons?” the woman hadn't moved any muscles except her lips since she had stepped around the corner.

 

“My friend has been poisoned, and she hates someone she loved now.” Kagome said from behind Inuyasha's back, realizing that this demon despised humans.

 

“I did not love him.” Rin growled, Miroku patted Shippo on the back sympathetically.

 

The woman smirked. “Your offering?”

 

“These.” Ayame held out the bag, but the woman made no move towards them.

 

“Please,” Miroku stepped forward. “Who are we addressing?”

 

The woman looked at him with the same blank cold glare she had given Kagome until he stepped back again before answering. “Keirika.” She said flatly.

 

She the guardian of suffering. Kagome realized. That's why there's such a cold aura coming from her; that would also explain why she seems to like the idea of Rin hurting Shippo.

 

“You call for Korika?” she asked, continuing to use the minimal wording in her sentences.

 

“Yes, we want her to remove the poison from my friend's blood.” Kagome said; continuing to not look at her.

 

“Come.” The woman commanded, and turned sharply, heading back the way she had come with a step so quick it seemed her bare feet didn't even touch the ground.

 

Kagome kept close to Inuyasha and tried to ignore the blood splatters on the wall that were becoming more common as they went further into the cave, and then only stared at Inuyasha's back as the blood spatters became paintings, people in fires, sick and being slaughtered, everything that was supposedly let out of Death's Chest was painted on the wall with blood.

 

“I hope you don't mind our decorations.” Keirika looked at Kagome from over her shoulder, smiling for the first time, but it was a cold smile, as if she was hoping that Kagome or Rin would throw up at the sight of the paintings.

 

“Not at all.” Kagome said weakly as she spotted a human skeleton on the floor. Keirika began down a set of stairs so steep that the humans had to be carried on the demons' backs so as not to fall, Keirika turned abruptly and jumped down the rest of the stairs to the ground one hundred feet below, obviously they were moving too slow for her.

 

They found her sitting on a bench of bones waiting for them, and she turned a key covered in blood in a metal door when she saw them reach the bottom, it creaked open with the sound of a banshee screaming.

 

This is for Rin and Shippo. Kagome reminded herself to give herself that push she needed to get through the door, and quickly stepped through, trying to ignore another skeleton she had noticed.

 

“Korika?” Keirika called before sitting silently down on a couch and picked up a wine glass containing something red; she took a long sip before smiling wickedly at Kagome again; Kagome fought her outrageously strong impulse to throw up as she realized that it was blood.

 

“Yes?” another woman that would also rival a siren stepped out from behind a curtain, where a cauldron was boiling over with a thick putrid looking broth was sitting. Korika at least looked pleasant, she wasn't glaring at any of them, and wasn't waiting for one of them to hurt themselves so she could have a drink of their blood. The only appearance difference between her and her merciless sister was Keirika's dark blue eyes and Korika's dark green eyes.

 

“We have a friend who's been poisoned, and we were told that you could help.” Kagome said softly from behind Inuyasha; she gulped as she noticed that he had his hand was flexed, ready incase they were attacked.

 

“Can you offer me something?” she raised her eyebrows. “I am the keeper of poisons and diseases, and I cure many, but I also turn people away if they don't have something worthy to offer, because the ratio of people sick and healthy needs to be balanced, or preferably… two to one.” She smirked, showing her first evil expression, and it made Kagome shiver; she didn't even bother trying to hide it because she didn't want Keirika to hate her anymore than she did now. If Keirika saw that Kagome was uncomfortable, she would possibly not want Kagome's blood because she would want to see her suffer.

 

“Here.” Ayame placed the bag on the table just as another woman with black eyes walked in, there was something that was just dark about her, like the night.

 

That must be Kairiko, the guardian of the night and of sightlessness. Kagome thought, but looked away quickly as Kairiko looked at her, because when her eyes met with Kairiko's, her eyes burned and watered; she wiped the tears away quickly, ignoring Keirika's chuckle.

 

Korika stared at the bag before pulling it open and running her hand through the things; she tossed it aside after a minute. “Useless items.” She scoffed.

 

“Damn.” Shippo said, the despair in his voice was clearly noticeable.

 

“What else would you like?” Ayame said in desperation.

 

“I need to see how much of her blood I need to clean before I decide.” Korika motioned that Rin should come forward.

 

Rin hesitated before taking a shaky step forward, making Keirika laugh out loud; Rin stepped up to Korika and went as stiff as a metal pole, Korika reached for her collar and pulled it down.

 

“Hey!” Shippo started to make a lunge for them, panicking as he realized what Korika was going to do.

 

“He scent in very strong.” Korika said, glaring at him and making him stop by the seemingly non-sequitur statement. “If I can smell the poison on her skin then that means that the it's extremely strong, and possibly aggressive.” She continued. “Don't come closer or I might assume it's the wrong poison by accident.”

 

Shippo nodded reluctantly, but didn't move back either. Korika glared at him a little bit more before pulling back her lips and revealing her pearl white fangs before sliding them into Rin's jugular vein.

 

Her eyes stayed slits as she tasted, then got wider in an almost amused look when she pulled her fangs out. “Wow.” Korika muttered.

 

“What?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“I have to admit that I didn't think humans were strong enough to make this poison.” She said in approval.

 

“Make what?” Inuyasha asked more forcefully as Keirika got up and stuck her fangs into Rin's neck, making her wince at how rough Keirika was; Shippo looked ready to attack them at any second.

 

“Hmm.” Keirika said and licked her lips in agreement to Korika.

 

“I'm afraid that your price will be very high.” Korika said with no apology at all in her voice.

 

Another demon with dark grey eyes and short black hair walked in and sniffed Rin's neck. “Outrageously high.” He corrected his sister; Kagome wondered if the female demons looked as enchanting to Inuyasha as the male demon did to her, she just barely had enough self-control to not run over to him and start kissing his feet to get his attention.

 

“I was trying not to scare them Kuriko.” Korika said his name with a `duh' sound in her voice.

 

“Sorry to break it to you, but Keirika already looks like she's got them ready to bolt, they wont get very much more scared.”

 

“How high?” Shippo asked, bringing them all back to Rin, who was still standing in front of Korika, stiff as a board with her neck tilted so the demons would have better access to her jugular, which was now bleeding lightly from the four teeth marks.

 

“The poison is essentially replacing her blood.” Korika said, sitting Rin down in a chair and wiping her neck with her finger. “I'm actually surprised that you're still alive.” She looked at Shippo who gawked.

 

“It replaces not only your blood, but because the blood is traveling to the brain, it replaces feelings of love with hate. And because her blood is so saturated with the poison, she should have killed anyone she loves long ago, not just the one she loves as a mate.”

 

“So she'll just keep getting worse?” Miroku asked.

 

Korika nodded. “She'll become so filled with hate that she'll kill everyone she ever knew and liked even remotely so, no matter of gender, and then she'll start to hate herself.”

 

“And the process will end once she kills herself?” Miroku finished, Korika nodded.

 

“It will take a lot of my energy and a lot of her blood to remove all the poison; so these, which we never use out here,” she tossed the bag of jewels back to them where it landed by their feet with a loud clashing sound. “are as useless to me as gills are to a bird.”

 

“But you know,” Another demon woman walked into the room, her red eyes glowed in the light of the fire flickering in the corner of the room, she was cradling a small bundle, and what ever was inside it seemed to be glowing. “you always have hope.”

 

“…Thank you.” Kagome said quietly, wondering if the woman was sick to be acting like that.

 

“Don't get me wrong.” She added, shaking her head. “I'd love to see her hate him some more because it is surprisingly strong, but I am in the position to speak for Kyozoka.”

 

“Good thing too.” Keirika picked up her glass of blood and drained it. “I thought you were going soft Kanchia.”

 

“I? The demon of hate?” Kanchia asked skeptically. “Never.”

 

The Kanchia shifted the bundle and Kagome gasped at what was inside; Kyozoka was a tiny baby girl no more than two months old swaddled in the blanket, her fists tightly grasped the blanket, her tiny silvery pearl eyes gazed at Kagome and she gave her a huge smile; Kagome couldn't help but smile back and Kanchia sniffed in disgust at their happiness.

 

“So.” Keirika smirked, knowing very well what her sister wanted. “What's your price Korika?”

 

Myoga squeezed in between Kagome's fingers and hopped onto Korika's shoulder. “Not your usual payment I hope.” He said worriedly.

 

“And why ever not Myoga?” Korika looked at him with mock innocence.

 

“You know each other?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“It's likely that demons with the same tastes will have to meet at some point.” Korika shrugged.

 

Kagome was really getting annoyed, what Korika wanted was right on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't…

 

“You want blood.” Shippo stated coldly, everyone turned to him, but he was dead serious and as stiff as Rin was.

 

“At least one of them has brains.” Kanchia rolled her eyes.

 

“Blood?” Rin repeated, starting to panic.

 

“Not yours!” Kanchia slapped her hand over her eyes. “You'll have lost so much already you be drier than a sponge that had been dropped in the desert. Someone else's.”

 

“Mine.”

 

Everyone turned to Shippo in shock, but he refused to meet the eye of anyone.

 

“It'll be my blood.” He said again, one of the most determined looks on his face that Inuyasha, Miroku and Koga had ever seen.

 

“Shippo…” Kagome tried to reason. “it can be from a few different people, just because its Rin doesn't mean that you have to be the only one to give---”

 

“Yes it does.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It does have to be just me.” He looked away from her again.

 

“Who cares?” Rin rolled her eyes and crossed her legs, making herself more comfortable in the seat. “It'll finally get him off my tail if he dies.” Korika raised an eyebrow at each of them.

 

Shippo glared at her. “Do you ever think about what you say to me before you say it?” he asked darkly.

 

“I'm hoping that you'll leave me alone if I be as brutal as I can.” She returned just as darkly.

 

“See?” he asked Kagome. “I'm the only one she doesn't care about losing, so I'll be the only one.” He turned to Korika. “Just get it out of her now, or she'll kill me before you get a chance to.”

 

Kanchia sighed. “Love can be like magic, but sometimes… magic can be nothing but a illusion.”

 

Shippo gave her a death glare that she ignored. “Nothing from me is just an illusion.” He spat.

 

“But you are strong, in the sense that you can do this for her.” Kuriko put in for Shippo's sake, but Kanchia shook her head.

 

“Being the demon of hate has given me a good understanding of love, no matter how much I despise it; but thanks to it I know that real loss only happens when you loose something you love more than yourself; he's doing this to save himself and her at the same time.”

 

Shippo gave her another death glare that she ignored again.

 

“But---” Koga sputtered.

 

“Some think that holding on is what makes us strong, but sometimes letting go takes more strength.” Kanchia interrupted, inspecting her nails. “And meanwhile, Rin is becoming sicker by the second.”

 

“Shut up Koga.” Shippo said quietly. “Just do it.” He nodded at Korika, who shrugged and bit Rin's neck, hard. Rin gasped and arched her back, making Shippo take half fluttering steps towards her in a panic, but never close enough to stop Korika, eve when Rin's eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in Korika's arms.

 

Kagome looked away as Korika bit deeper, making Rin cry out softly, even in unconsciousness, and felt the rage already inside of her boil over when she saw Keirika, sitting there looking more bored than she had when Korika told Shippo that Rin might die.

 

Presently Korika pulled her fangs out with a gasp, she had her eyes squeezed tightly shut and she was breathing and gasping hard.

 

“You going to die too?” Keirika asked in amusement, but silenced when Korika clenched her eyes tighter and held up one finger, telling her to shut the hell up; Kagome didn't move out of fear until Korika's stomach convulsed, when she jumped back, startled.

 

Korika bent over so fast she was a blur and retched, expelling all the poisoned blood she had sucked out of Rin onto the floor; Kagome gasped, there must have been more than two thirds of Rin's blood there, it was extremely dangerous to take that much. Korika straightened and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then picked the limp Rin up and placed her in Shippo's arms.

 

“Enjoy it.” Kairiko said sympathetically to Shippo, he black eyes reflecting his tormented face. “Because it might be your last time.”

 

Shippo nodded and kissed Rin's cheek softly before placing her in Ayame's arms. “Go.” He said flatly.

 

“But Shippo…!” Ayame pleaded.

 

“He's not even trying to make a break for it.” Kanchia said with amusement. “He's got guts.”

 

“Go, get her out of here.” Shippo repeated, not letting any regret into his voice.

 

Kagome got onto Inuyasha's back and Miroku got on Koga's; Ayame gave Shippo one last glance before racing out the door and up the stairs, a whirlwind on her heels; Koga was right behind her with another whirlwind behind him.

 

Kagome snarled as she heard what Keirika said before Inuyasha took off right behind Koga.

 

“Can I have some of his blood?” Keirika asked, completely in seriousness.

 

Kagome buried her head in Inuyasha's shoulder, trying desperately to block out those enchanting torturous voices, but it was no use, Keirika's cold seductive voice was welded into her memory along with Kanchia's amused yet friendly voice, Korika's reasonable sweet voice and Kairiko's dangerous but sympathetic voice, she could also hear Kuriko's correction of his sister bouncing around her ears with Kyozoka's sweet laugh.

 

Ayame was running right in front of them, carrying Rin as if she was made of glass, her head bent over in thought.

 

“I hope she's okay.” Kagome whispered, Inuyasha nodded.

 

And then Ayame slammed her heels into the ground and stopped on the spot, Koga yelped and stuck his heels in the ground too so as not to smash into her, ending up flipping him and Miroku over themselves.

 

“What the hell?!” Koga yelled while picking himself out of the dust and dirt he had kicked up with his heels.

 

“I can't do this.” Ayame said softly, shaking her head.

 

“What?” Miroku asked, taking Koga's out stretched hand and pulling himself up.

 

“Rin's going to wake up and kill herself,” Ayame wheeled to face them. “she said all those things to Shippo and he's going to be dead, she wont get to see him, or talk to him or apologize.” Ayame looked at Rin. “I'm going back to see if they'll take something else besides blood.” She said with a non-negotiation tone and sped off back towards the mountain before anyone could react or say anything else.

 

“Ayame!” Kagome yelled and pushed Inuyasha to follow her, he sighed, annoyed, but ran after her, Koga dragging Miroku along right behind them.