InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Incomplete ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

The road that led out of Kaede's village was all but deserted. Inuyasha and Miroku walked in tandem, each too preoccupied with their thoughts to speak. Inuyasha's expression was grim, and it was little wonder as to why. He'd used up every ounce of patience he possessed the previous night listening to the objections of Shippo, Sango and the monk after he told them of his plan.

Using the jewel shard was the only way. He felt it as surely as he'd ever felt anything before, but it was impossible to use his intuition to convince them. All they saw when it came to the Sacred Jewel was danger and unpredictability. He understood their fear. The jewel scared him too but that didn't change anything, at least not in his mind. He was human, Kagome had been taken by Sesshomaru, and Kikyo had tried to kill him. Nothing in his life made any sense right now so why should the answer be any different?

They wouldn't give in easily, but he'd known that from the start. He wasn't at all surprised when the monk had cornered him after breakfast wearing a serious look and asked him to go for a walk. He kept his eyes focused on the ground and trudged on, hoping to avoid the lecture that was sure to come. Undaunted, Miroku matched his pace and regarded him carefully.

"They think you're being too reckless."

Inuyasha stiffened and 'keh'd loudly. He stubbornly clutched his shard of the Sacred Jewel tighter.

Silence fell between them, disturbed only by the crunch of their feet atop the rocky road and the periodic jingle of the rings on Miroku's staff. After a while, Inuyasha's shoulders softened a little and he asked,

"What do you think?"

The monk's feet slowed to a stop and he breathed a weighted sigh. Staring at his friend, his expression was a mix of understanding and pity. Inuyasha stared back, obviously torn.

"You're being reckless because you're worried for Kagome's safety. I'd be a liar if I said I didn't understand where you were coming from. But keep in mind, Inuyasha, that none of us know what the jewel will do to you. Kagome isn't around to purify it if things go badly. You're taking an enormous risk."

The former hanyou groaned in frustration.

"Nothing's gonna go wrong."

"Who are you trying to convince?" the monk chided with a critical eye. "We've seen time and again what the jewel is capable of and what it does to you. I really think you should-"

"I know all this already! You think I haven't considered every possible scenario? This is the only way."

"Have you considered how you'd feel if you killed Kagome by accident while you were under the influence of the jewel?"

Miroku's logic could be ruthless when he needed it to be. Leave it to him to go right for his greatest weakness. Inuyasha's features darkened and his resolved crumbled a little. It was his greatest fear. If somehow he killed Kagome while under the control of the jewel he'd never be able to forgive himself. Frustrated, he remained stubbornly silent until he finally fixed his friend with a fierce look and demanded,

"What if it were Sango?"

"I hardly think-," the monk retorted with a disapproving frown, but Inuyasha wasn't willing to let him off so easily.

"What. If. It. Were. Sango," he repeated, biting out each word. "Wouldn't you save her, no matter what the risks were? Wouldn't you do everything in your power to bring her back?"

The monk's pointed silence was answer enough. Of course he would. It was obvious. He'd do anything for Sango, just like he'd do anything for Kagome.

Resigned, the monk averted his attention to the sky and shook his head.

"Inuyasha, if you want to use a Sacred Jewel shard to rescue Kagome that's up to you. None of us can make that decision for you. But think really hard about what you're doing. If things go badly, and there's a good chance that they will, the consequences might be more than you're prepared to handle. Do you really want that kind of blood on your hands? Could you live with yourself if that happened?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I know I wouldn't be able to live with it if I something happened to her and I did nothing 'cause I was too scared of what could happen. I need to try."

"Alright," Miroku sighed. "It's obvious you've already made up your mind and nothing any of us can say will talk you out of it. Just promise you'll be careful."

A quirky grin lifted a corner of the boy's mouth as he turned around and started back down the road toward the village.

"Don't worry Monk. I'll be back saving your ass again in no time," he quipped, his words full of good-humoured mockery.

"You sure you wanna walk ahead of me? This wind tunnel is just itching to get some exercise..." he shot back and jingled his prayer beads for good measure.

Inuyasha was out of sight in a heartbeat. Miroku chuckled to himself and stared thoughtfully at the village ahead, full of life and activity. Inuyasha had saved those villagers a half dozen times over, often against incredible odds. They owed their lives and their livelihoods to him, everyone did. If he could save a village, he could save Kagome. He had to believe that. When things were this dangerous there wasn't any room for doubt.

Please Inuyasha, prove me wrong. We need you both to come back in one piece.

oOo

Rin stared thoughtfully at the door to the guest quarters and pondered whether to knock. Days had passed since she'd last seen the miko. For nearly a week Kagome had remained hidden in her room, refusing to come out. Rin hadn't started to worry until she began to see tray after tray of food being left untouched outside her door.

Whatever had happened to Inuyasha's friend it was a complete mystery, but it was one Rin was determined to solve. Jaw set, she sucked in an breath to steel her resolve and rapped loudly on the door. When there was no answer from inside, she slid the door open and poked her head in.

"Kagooome? It's me Rin! Are you in here?"

The room was dark and the blinds over the windows were closed, shutting out what was left of the daylight. Even the fire in the hearth appeared smothered and dead, barely offering any warmth at all. Rin waited in the doorway for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting and searched the shadowy recesses for any signs of the miko. Eventually she spotted her curled up in a ball atop her futon. With a sigh of relief she skipped over and performed a graceful pirouette, hoping to elicit a smile from the stone faced girl.

Kagome rolled over on her side so she was facing the far wall instead. Affronted, Rin put her hands on her hips and stared hard at the miko's back.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, her curiosity getting the better of her, "Are you sick?"

When she received no response, Rin tip toed around the futon and lay down next to her friend. Kagome's eyes sluggishly blinked and fixed on her face. Recognition was slow to dawn across her features, but when it did she looked surprised.

"Rin?" she croaked, "What are you doing here?"

The girl turned onto her back and rested her hands behind her head. With a sigh of frustration she watched Kagome out of the corner of her eye.

"I came to see you, silly!"

A look of guilt darkened Kagome's features and she seemed to withdraw into herself again. Turning her head away she asked seriously, "Won't Sesshomaru be angry with you for visiting me?"

It wasn't difficult to hear the underlying bitterness in her tone. The girl's dark eyebrows knit together in confusion, but she answered nonetheless with a shake of her head.

"It's LORD Sesshomaru! And I don't know why he would be angry. He's worried about you too. I told him about all the food you left outside. Weren't you hungry for all those days? I don't think I could go that many days without eating. My stomach would be growling so loud it would wake the whole palace!"

"Did he actually say that?" Kagome prodded, sounding dubious.

"Of course!" Rin flopped over onto her stomach and rested her chin on her hands.

The innocent look on her face made Kagome seriously question the truth of her words. The thought of Sesshomaru dedicating any amount of time to worrying about her welfare was almost laughable. Sure he'd saved her life, but that was out of obligation more than anything, wasn't it?

She still couldn't understand what made him tick and the frustration was driving her half crazy. One minute he was curling up with her in bed, and the next he was threatening to disembowel her. For a fleeting minute she considered using Rin as a spy, but instantly felt guilty and discarded the idea.

"I need to leave," she confessed, staring distantly at the ceiling.

Rin looked over and her eyebrows lifted in shock.

"Please don't go, Kagome! I want you to stay!"

"I'm not trying to leave you, Rin. You can come too if you like. I just can't stay here in this place any longer. If I stay…I'll die."

The girl pursed her lips as her mind worked over different scenarios. If she helped Kagome escape she'd be disobeying Lord Sesshomaru and he might get angry. If she didn't help and Kagome died, then she'd lose someone else she cared about. After a long minute of consideration, she nodded and put on a tentative smile.

"Okay I'll help you," she determined, "but you have to promise to come back and visit, okay?"

Kagome nodded and smiled weakly. "I promise."

"Okay! I'll be right back with dinner!" she called cheerily and skipped out the door.

Kagome waved after her and dropped her head back against the pillow with a grateful sigh. The thought of finally being able to see Inuyasha and the others again brought tears to her eyes. Folding her hands across her stomach, she closed her eyes and waited patiently for Rin's return.

oOo

The night Kagome finally made her escape from Sesshomaru's palace was dark and moonless. She watched the yard nervously from her bedroom window, scanning for guards. Rin had told her in great detail about the best ways to escape undetected. She'd chosen to take the route through the gardens just beyond her window since it was less likely that guards would be patrolling that area.

When she was certain the coast was clear, Kagome eased her body out onto the sill and climbed down the vines growing along the wall. Jumping the last few feet to the ground, she landed atop the thick grass with a soft 'thud' and quickly darted into the shelter of the trees and shrubs. The crisp night air immediately sent a shiver up her spine and the wind stung her cheeks. She was glad for the cloak Rin had brought her and she pulled it tight around her body to drive out the cold.

Desperate to put as much distance between herself, the palace and all the negative feelings she'd come to associate with its owner as was humanly possible, she ran for what seemed like hours. It was only once the muscles in her legs began to cramp and her lungs ache from the cold air that she finally conceded to stop and rest.

With her back braced against a tree, she took her time catching her breath. The forest all around her was quiet and dark, but she wasn't frightened. She'd already had the unfortunate experience of looking Death in the face. Compared to that, travelling alone through a wild forest in the dead of night was nothing. Besides, no one was following her - of that much she was certain.

Feeling rested and perfectly at ease, Kagome resumed her trek eastward in the direction of Kaede's village. According to Rin, it would take two full days of walking to reach it. It would be hours before anyone at the palace even realized she was gone, so she figured there was no reason to tire herself out unnecessarily.

While her feet navigated around the fallen logs and jutting stones that littered the darkened path, her thoughts drifted to Inuyasha and the others. She wondered how long they'd searched for her before giving up. Knowing Inuyasha's stubborn nature he wouldn't have given up easily, especially if he knew that it was Sesshomaru who'd taken her.

Inuyasha's probably so worried right now. I should apologize to him when I get back, she thought with a troubled frown. Even though he acted tough and aloof with her, Inuyasha really did care about her in his own way. He worried about her a lot, and something like this...

The loud crack of a stick close by brought Kagome's steps up short. Holding her breath she slowly turned and peered into the shadows behind her. It was impossible to see anything without the help of the moon's cool blue light. Her stomach sank when she made the chilling discovery that she had no weapons on her, not even a knife to defend herself should some hungry creature come looking for a snack.

She wanted to ignore the instincts that were telling her to run, but couldn't. They were far too powerful and well developed after years of jewel shard hunting to ignore. She knew something was there, not only because all the hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, but because her body was tingling the way it did when there was a jewel shard close by.

Why didn't I notice it sooner? she wondered, shocked by how strong the pull of the shard was.

Slowly turning back around, she continued moving down the path at a steady pace. She kept her every sense tuned in to the creature that was stalking her like she was its prey. Another twig snapped and she stopped again. From the shadows behind her a feral growl sounded, low and ominous. The sound sent goose bumps rippling down her arms and legs.

Sucking in a gasp, she whipped around prepared to face whatever it was head on. Instead, she found herself face to face with Inuyasha. Her momentary relief and elation vanished once she caught sight of his blood red eyes gleaming at her through the darkness. They narrowed at her and he let out another vicious growl that showed the whites of his fangs.

Kagome began to shake as she simultaneously made two horrific realizations - the first being that he had no idea who she was, and the second that there was a dark aura from a sacred jewel shard surrounding his heart.

Inuyasha... What have you done?

The litany of questions running through her head about how he'd obtained a jewel shard and why he'd used it to become a full demon were silenced once he raised his claws and dragged them down the tree next to him. She watched, both fascinated and horrified, as their razor sharp edges sliced cleanly through the rough bark.

Gulping loudly, she took several hesitant steps backwards and tried desperately to find her voice.

"Inuyasha! What's wrong with you? Don't you know who I am?" she cried out desperately.

If her voice reached him, he made no acknowledgment of it. If anything, he looked even more menacing as his face contorted into an angry scowl.

He advanced on her slowly, obviously enjoying the chase. He toyed with her, allowing her get a few steps away, closer to freedom, before suddenly closing the gap between them. Wearing that same feral smile, he breathed in deeply to taste her scent. He seemed to growl with excitement at the taint of desperation and fear that polluted the air all around her.

Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes as she stared in disbelief at the silver haired demon looming before her. This time there was no one around to save her. After years spent on their quest to restore the Sacred Jewel and facing every danger imaginable, she was going to die alone in the forest at Inuyasha's hand. It hardly seemed fair.

"Where are the others?" she demanded, her voice wavering slightly with fear. Had Inuyasha attacked them too? Kagome struggled to understand but found herself at a loss.

After everything we've been through together to collect those shards, I can't believe you would turn your back on us like this! Inuyasha, what were you thinking?

Kagome's slow, backwards retreat was brought up short when her back connected with a large stone wall. Her stomach sank when she finally looked around her surroundings and realized he'd guided her into a rocky outcrop. The way the wall towered overhead and jutted out to either side meant that she was trapped.

Oh Kami, this is it! I'm really in for it this time! she thought, bracing herself against the wall.

"Inuyasha! Please wake up! Snap out of it!" she cried out to him frantically.

Her tears and her words fell on deaf ears. In a flash, he grabbed her by the throat and held her suspended in the air. She could see the twisted smile on his face as she kicked her feet wildly and tried desperately to release his unbreakable grip on her neck.

Without warning, he abruptly dropped her to the ground. Kagome gasped and coughed as the cold air rushed into her lungs. She barely had enough time to recover before he grabbed her again. She winced at the fiery pain of ten claws digging into the flesh of her arms. He held her against the wall with one hand and pulled his other out of her arm to examine the crimson blood dripping off his claws. With a sick smile he began to lick it off, savouring the taste of her blood. Kagome could only watch the disgusting display in muted horror.

Who was this person? Where had her Inuyasha gone? The times he'd changed into a demon before he'd never been violent towards her!

Realizing that she was nearly out of options, Kagome did the only thing she could think of to try and save them both. Wrenching her body out of his grasp, she threw herself into his chest and hugged him tight.

"Please come back Inuyasha! This isn't you!" she begged, holding onto him for dear life.

She could hear his heart thumping loudly in his chest and hoped that, somewhere deep inside, the real Inuyasha could still hear her. Her hope faded when her back connected sharply with the jagged stones of the rock wall. He snarled viciously at her and her face fell in dismay. When she looked into his eyes, she didn't see an ounce of comprehension there.

Is he beyond my reach now because of that jewel shard? she wondered, eyeing the black haze around his heart. Will I have to follow Kikyo's path and destroy you as well, Inuyasha?

Kagome wiped the tears from her cheeks and watched, helpless, as Inuyasha advanced on her again. The fiery look in his eyes told her that he was done playing games. His face bore the same menacing look it had when he'd mercilessly slaughtered an entire gang of bandits and she knew he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to her. In those blood red eyes of his she was no different than those nameless thieves.

Inuyasha paused just before his claws reached her and directed a deep, throaty growl at something above her head. Confused, Kagome eyed him warily before tilting her head back to see what'd caught his attention. She flinched and shielded her face away from the sudden flutter of white that filled her line of vision. When she felt brave enough to peek out from beneath her arms, she couldn't hold back her gasp.

Between her and Inuyasha stood Sesshomaru with his Tokijin drawn and the blade pointed squarely at his brother's chest.

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Author's Note: Thank you to FallenTenchi, AccidentalGoddess, KoishiiBeloved, catseye, Marky Crews, and Isis for reviewing my last couple of chapters. Your words of encouragement are very much appreciated! To any new readers, any thoughts you want to offer would be great!