InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Inevitable ❯ Impugnation ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: I do not Inuyasha. Whatever.

 

Author's Note: We are nearing the end, folks! Seriously. I'm going to make an estimate of two more chapters.

 

Again, thanks to my awesome beta, Wendy, and her super-speedy editing skills.

 

 

Inevitable

 

Chapter 17

Impugnation

 

 

Even today, I find I always have to ask myself, was it worth it? Was all the violence and the tragedy worth what we achieved in the end, if anything? Was all the death and the destruction necessary? Or was it all just an inevitable fate that we'd been heading towards all along…?

 

“Kagome.”

 

Slowly, I turned, bringing both my hands into my lap. I could feel the dampness of the cloth on my bare legs where the kimono had fallen open.

 

“Yes, Kaede-obasan?”

 

She stood in the doorway, breathing heavily, the lines on her face seeming strangely prominent. She waited there a moment to catch her breath, before stepping into the room, limping towards us.

 

I glanced at Shippou-chan. His eyes were watching Kaede-obasan, appearing almost half-asleep. His mouth hung open, his breathing noisy, as if it were scraping past his throat to get out. Gently, I wiped away the line of drool that had begun to trickle down his chin.

 

“Kagome,” I heard Kaede-obasan say again, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

 

Keeping my face turned away from her, I dabbed the cloth along Shippou-chan's lips briefly before I set it aside. Tentatively, I brushed a few hairs from his forehead.

 

“Come, Kagome,” she said, her grip tightening on my shoulder. I heard footsteps outside the room and glanced out of the corner of my eye to see a young girl in priestess robes standing there. Kaede-obasan's apprentice. I cannot remember her name.

 

“Come, come,” she urged, and brought me to my feet.

 

I stared down at Shippou-chan, reluctant to leave. A frightening sensation twisted in my gut. I had to open my mouth to draw in a shaky breath.

 

“Come, come now, Kagome,” Kaede-obasan whispered, pulling me away. She nodded towards the demure girl who stood in the doorway. “She will look after Shippou-chan.”

 

The girl smiled at me, and bowed. I said nothing.

 

Kaede-obasan seemed to take that as an okay sign, and led me from the room. I looked back once to see Shippou-chan's still and pallid form lying on the futon, before the young girl slid the shoji screens shut.

 

I started, suddenly realizing that I had stopped. I only had a moment to stand there before Kaede-obasan was pulling me along again.

 

“Kagome,” she said, leaning towards my ear as we left her hut, “I must tell you something.”

 

Confused, I turned my head slightly so I could watch her face.

 

“Inuyasha is in a great deal of trouble.”

 

A jolt of surprise snaked up my spine, and I would have stopped, but the old priestess continued walking, her hand placed firmly on the small of my back. Darting my eyes over to watch her, a very discomforting feeling settled over me as I saw the obvious fear in her eye.

 

“Kaede-obasan, what -”

 

“Inuyasha attacked Hiroshi-san.”

 

“What!” My breath hitched in its place and I froze, despite Kaede-obasan's attempts to keep me moving.

 

“Kagome -”

 

“How? How! Kaede-obasan - tell me what happened!” I spun out of her grip and faced her directly, grabbing her shoulders. “Why - when? When did this…?”

 

“Earlier. After you had left his house.” Her eye searched mine. “You did not know this?”

 

“I - I thought…” I closed my eyes and lowered my head, breathing in and out deeply. I felt her hands tenderly cup my face and lift it. I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks. “Oh gods…” I sobbed, my breath jerking about in my chest.

 

Her thumbs smoothed the tears away. I could see the restraint in her face, the corner of her eye glistening.

 

“I can't believe I didn't - I was such an idiot,” I spat, straightening and scrubbing furiously at my face, crying. Kaede-obasan squeezed my shoulder encouragingly. “Do - do you think there's…anything we can do?” I had to wonder to myself why I wanted to help him.

 

She looked at me seriously. “It is a matter of honour.”

 

“What?” I shook my head, and pushed away from her. “No. No - it can't be as simple as that, we have to do something -”

 

“Kagome, you do not understand -”

 

“No! I don't - obviously!” I spluttered, angry. “How would I know anything here?” I threw my hands up in frustration. “Sometimes I just…I just can't stand all of…this.” I fisted my hands in my hair.

 

“Kagome…” She made to move towards me.

 

“No!” I held out my hand. “No, I need - I have to do something, or else I won't ever forgive myself, I swear!”

 

“Kagome, you need to calm down…” Kaede-obasan said as she walked over to me.

 

I shook my head and backed away from her. “Kaede-obasan, this is important. What if - what if he does something worse? They can't possibly - no, I have to go - I have to do something!” I shouted, and tore off, regardless of my scantily clad state.

 

“Kagome!” she yelled after me. “Kagome!” But I was already running towards Hiroshi-san's house. A terrible lump had suddenly formed in my throat. I began to notice the lack of people as I passed through. The frightening sensation from earlier intensified, and I suddenly had to pee.

 

My feet were freezing, and my legs were covered with goose bumps when I finally arrived at the scene. I stopped dead in my tracks, and my pounding heart drowned out the frightened thoughts scrambling through my mind.

 

The clearing in front of the entrance to Hiroshi-san's house was encircled by a small crowd of villagers, their eyes trained on the two in their centre. Death wasn't uncommon in the Sengoku Jidai, but in that village there was a great deal less violence than I had witnessed in other villages and towns. A fight between two such trained killers had never been seen by any of them before, and was sure to draw their attention, especially when one of the fighters was not completely human.

 

“Oh gods…” I whispered, wrapping my kimono more tightly about myself. Damn, but I was freezing.

 

“You disgusting half-breed!”

 

I jumped at the sudden harsh words. I clutched my robe with clammy hands.

 

“You have insulted the honour of this village and my family, you filthy hanyou. You have the gall to attack my father - a man of samurai blood, and you - you who are nothing but the bastard son of a whore.”

 

I had watched in horror as Inuyasha had shot back curses at Ryota, his hand gripping the hilt of Tessaiga in a white-knuckled grip.