InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Malice ❯ When Darkness Falls ( Chapter 33 )

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

Chapter 33: When Darkness Falls

Kagome watched silently as Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Sango, and Kouga all moved forward, forming into a tight circle as they discussed various possible tactics.

She chuckled internally. Like it matters, really, what they choose to do. I think that these foes are going to be left mostly to me and Kikyou - and maybe Miroku.

With that thought, she stepped back further, joining the elder miko and the monk at the back of the group. Turning her flashlight towards the ground, she looked at the two.

"Well? When do you suppose we should tell them?" she asked.

Miroku's brow rose, and Kikyou shook her head, a wry look on her face.

"We probably shouldn't tell them - you know Inuyasha will lose it if you try to tell him he has to sit back while you go fight. He'll never allow that," Kikyou said.

Miroku nodded. "That's the truth. So, you advocate action, as opposed to talking?"

Kikyou gestured towards the rest of the group. "Does it look like they are taking any note of us right now? When do you think would be a better time?"

Kagome glanced over at the others, then back, meeting Kikyou's and Miroku's eyes, and nodded. "I think you're right, Kikyou. We should just go - there's not much they can do to help in the close quarters that we are going to be dealing with."

She frowned, then. "But... how do we lure the snakes out, so that we can make sure we get them all? We certainly can't afford to leave any behind..." she trailed off at the thoughtful looks on the faces of her companions.

"A good question, Kagome," Miroku said, brow furrowed as he concentrated on the problem at hand. "Perhaps..." he reached into his robes and took out a stack of ofuda, "I should go in first, and place an ofuda to exorcise their nest - it should work well enough to force them all out and into the open, and then you both can pick them off one by one - one on either side of the nest and at a bit of a distance... if we are lucky, we may even be able to find higher ground for the both of you."

Kikyou tilted her head. "That would be ideal... but we can't make a decision until we go see what we're looking at, now can we?"

Kagome shook her head. "We really can't see what we're looking at anyway... since it's so dark, and the cavern is fairly large - the flashlights won't illuminate it."

It was Kikyou's turn to frown. "True... but you and I do have an alternative, you know."

Kagome nodded slowly. "But... if we used that, they would know that we were there - it would give us away."

Miroku sighed, irritation rampant in his tone. "Maybe we should just go in, flare our auras, and be damned. We'll be able to feel them, so even though its dark, it won't handicap us like it will the others. Whatever we're going to do, however, we need to leave now, before the others notice."

"Let's go, then." Kagome's voice was strong, determined, but Miroku winced as they turned and began to sneak away from the others.

Inuyasha's going to go on a rampage when he realizes she's gone... and if anything happens to her, he'll kill me - and probably everybody else, as well.

Maybe we should re-think this?

But it was too late for second thoughts, and Kagome wouldn't turn back anyway, so all he could do was protect her as best as he was able.

Kikyou met his gaze and nodded, a sympathetic look on her face, and he knew that she understood the same thing... this wasn't going to end well, even if they beat the snakes, they were still going to pay a steep price for not stopping Kagome - or at least telling him what she planned so he could stop her.

Rock and a hard place... caught between equally stubborn people. Much as I love Kagome, she's as stubborn as her mate - the years watching them are going to be very entertaining... if we all survive the confrontations, Miroku thought wryly, as mental visions of apocalyptic explosions crossed his mind.

He looked back several times as they tried to quietly meld with the darkness, so that no one would notice, and one time, he caught Sesshoumaru's gaze... he held his breath, thinking they'd be snitched out, but the stoic daiyoukai said nary a word, an understanding light in his eyes as he looked away, and continued talking to the others as though he'd noticed nothing.

With a sigh of relief, he moved faster, and the women matched his pace, also eager to get away without interference.

I'm sorry, Inuyasha, Kagome thought, but I have to do this, and you get too overprotective.

It didn't take them long, following the faint traces of youki to find the nest, and they hurriedly decided to let Miroku post an exorcism ofuda and see if that would succeed in driving the snakes from their lair. Kikyou took up a spot fairly close to the entrance, as cover for the monk's retreat, while he pulled out a stack of ofuda for the battle, as well.

Kagome, though she had argued against it, had been finally overwhelmed by the two insisting she take a stance farther away from the nest - they were of the mindset that when Inuyasha arrived and started throwing fits, the further back she was from the actual fight, the less homicidal he'd be.

So she grudgingly took up a stance further back from the nest, but at a different angle than Kikyou's, so that she wouldn't be shooting in the elder priestess' direction. The visions of being pinned by arrows flashed through both miko at the same time, and they both shuddered... there'd been enough pinning already, neither particularly wanted that to happen again.

Within minutes, Miroku had snuck up on the entrance to the snakes den, and flinging his most powerful ofuda at the entrance, he leapt back immediately, falling back to a position between the two miko, but closer to the den as he waited for the first of the snakes to exit.

Kagome and Kikyou both flared their auras at the same time, lighting up the area immediately around the den, giving them light, but blinding the snakes that began suddenly flying from the den in enraged panic.

Kagome gasped in shock at the sudden mass of snakes that came boiling out of that hole, and stared for a long moment before she could get herself into gear - but the moment she caught sight of a snake slithering up behind Kikyou, her bow snapped up, a hamaya nocked and fired before she even inhaled on her next breath.

The older miko shuddered then, and waved a relieved hand towards the younger, and Kagome nodded as she fired another hamaya into the wriggling, slithering pile that was growing in size as more snakes fled from the den.

Miroku was almost inundated, as he was closer to the pile, and soon had worn his stack of sutra down to the last few - as he noticed how little he had left, he began to fall back, getting closer to Kikyou, as he found his path to Kagome blocked by that time.

Inuyasha is going to kill me if something happens to her!

Suddenly, before Kikyou and Miroku could even call out, they were almost pounced on by the last, furious remnant of the snakes.

As they were just about surrounded, standing back to back, there came a scream of fury, and a flare of an aura so powerful that both almost dropped their weapons, and before the descending snakes could even touch either of them, Kagome leapt in front of Kikyou and pushed her and Miroku back...

Leaving herself in the middle of a group of snakes that were already airborne and about to land right on her.

Before the two shocked people still lying on the ground a short distance away could even do more than blink, an enraged yell of "Kagome!" thundered through the cavern, and as the light from the two women's auras finally dimmed back down, the last thing they saw was the transformed Tessaiga slicing through anything that was between Inuyasha and his mate.

The moment the flashlights arrived, carried by the rest of the group, Inuyasha yanked Kagome to her feet from where she'd fallen after throwing the other two out of her way, and let loose.

"What the fuck were you thinking!" he screamed, eyes actually flickering from red to gold in his fury, and face as scarlet as his fire rat.

Kagome's eyes widened in awe when she saw her mates face. "Wow. You're really pissed!" she said, and everyone there turned to stare at her, unable to believe she'd actually said that.

Inuyasha stared at her as if he'd like to kill her in that moment. "You stupid bitch!" he hissed. "Did you think I'd be happy that you took off into battle without me?!"

"Uhm... well, no, not really, but--" he cut her right off.

"And did you think I wouldn't notice what you did, jumping in front of Kikyou and Miroku like that?! Why would you do something so stupid?! There were better ways to help besides trading places with them!" he shouted.

She shifted her gaze, then, and looked away. "It's just habit, Inuyasha," she whispered, "trying to save Kikyou so you don't have to lose her again. I've been doing it for so long, that it just... happened, okay?"

He jerked back as though she'd slapped him. "What the fuck, wench?" he whispered back, harshly. "You mean to tell me your so set on protecting her... for my sake? You honestly think I'd want to lose you, for anyone?"

He snapped at that thought, and dragging her behind him, he hauled her off and headed for a quieter part of the cavern - where they could have an obviously seriously overdue discussion about safety issues - what he considered important... and in what order.

The rest of the group watched silently as Inuyasha drug Kagome off, and then a rather annoyed taijiya grabbed a certain monk by the ear and pulled him off, too, lecturing the whole way about the benefits of working with a large group - and not leaving your friends and compatriots behind to go off and fight without them.

Kikyou stood slowly, and brushed herself off. Looking up, she met Sesshoumaru's raised brow, and she shook her head. "I have no idea, so don't ask me. I guess that we should just wait here - they will return when they are done arguing."

"Hn," he grunted in agreement. "I suppose you are correct, priestess." He pinned the irritated Kouga and his friends with an icy gaze. "Do not think to follow, wolf - what happens between my brother and his mate is not your concern."

Kouga glared back for a minute, then looked away. "Whatever. I know I can't come between them, but if he hurts her...!"

"If you think he would do that, then you are more of a fool than even Inuyasha believes you to be. He will never be capable of raising a hand to her," Kikyou said.

"Indeed. Even when he lost himself to his youkai blood, he never tried to harm the miko. I do not believe he could hurt her, even to save his own life."

Kouga crossed stubborn arms over his chest, and huffed disbelievingly. "If you say so. But I don't trust the mutt as far as I can throw him - and that ain't very far," he said.

Sesshoumaru studied the defiant wolf for several long seconds, and Kouga shifted uncomfortably, trying hard to maintain his stance. Finally, the Inuyoukai looked away, very obviously not impressed.

"It is regrettable that the wolf tribes have no better representation - or leadership. It is no wonder they have fallen as far as they have," he finished, and Kikyou chuckled as Kouga's eyes widened in impotent rage, and his friends stared, almost bug-eyed, at the Western Lord.

Dismissing them as unworthy of his time or attention, he spoke to Kikyou, distantly, but politely. "Perhaps we should find a more comfortable spot and take a short rest while we wait for the others to rejoin us."

She nodded, and the two moved off, taking the light with them, as Kouga still had his flashlight tucked into his belt. Neither of the two looked back, and the wolf growled low in his chest; it was a blatant sign of disrespect... and there was nothing he could do about it.

The priestess was too powerful to attack, especially amongst allies, and the same went for Sesshoumaru - among allies or not. That way lay suicide. Besides... Kagome would never forgive him if he attacked anyone, and he didn't want to face her wrath.

With a sigh, he moved away from Ginta and Hakkaku, and slouched down against the cave wall. I'm outclassed among this group - and I don't like it. Why did Kagome have to hang around with a group of people so powerful?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cavern, Inuyasha was glaring at his mate of one day, seriously upset, and trying to get her to understand why... and that he wouldn't tolerate any more slip-ups like that one.

"I'm serious, Kagome - if you try to pull something like that again, I'll head right back out of these caves, take you back to Kaede's, and have you tied up. Then I'll come back, and fight Naraku without you," he growled out.

She turned her face away, refusing to look at him. "I already said I was sorry, Inuyasha. It was just habit. I've saved Kikyou several times now, for you, and trying to keep her alive for your sake is just kinda ingrained in me, okay?"

He tilted his head, eyeing her with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "What do you mean, several times? I know there was the time with the miasma from Naraku, but..."

Kagome fidgeted a bit, then said, "Well... there was another time you didn't know about - we were caught in a priestess-sealer, and she tried to get me to leave her there, because she was too weak to walk anymore, but I refused, and carried her with me."

He stared at her, nonplussed. "Where the hell was I at?"

"It was that time we had a fight when you insulted my cooking, and I sat you and stomped off into the forest. Kikyou was already inside when I got there, so... what else could I do? I couldn't leave her there, and besides," she looked down at her feet, scuffing the toe of one shoe along the rocks, "I didn't want you to be hurt because she died again," she finished softly.

Inuyasha just stared at her for a while, not knowing what to say at all.

Finally, with a shake of his head, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Kagome..." he murmured into her hair, "... don't you know that it would hurt me far worse to lose you? It was always that way - from the very beginning. Do you really think that I would have stuck around, shikon shard detector," he chuckled, "or not?"

She pulled back and stared at him in the dim light, astonishment plain on her face. "W-what?"

"I stayed with you because I wanted to, even though at the time, I didn't know why. But it didn't take long for me to figure it out - even before Kikyou was brought back I was starting to figure it out. Then, of course, there she was... and I felt guilty - and duty-bound to follow where she wanted."

He sighed, and clutched at her. "I was never so glad in my life as I was when she freed me from any debt to her," he said softly.

Kagome nodded, not saying anything, and he finally pulled away and looked down at her, pulling her chin up with one finger. "Just... don't do anything like that again, K'gome. If you die, I die. You scared me badly earlier - and I hate admitting that," he scowled lightly, and she giggled a little, "but it's the truth. Promise me?"

She sighed, and nodded again. "I'll try to keep out of danger... but I can't promise, Inuyasha, after all, we're heading for a battle."

His hands tightened on her for a moment. "I know - and I know that there's danger - but at the least, don't ever go running off without me again, got it?"

She watched him for a moment, then said, "Okay. I won't run off again."

He smiled at her, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Good. Now come on, let's get back to the others, and head to our water supply."

He tugged her with him as he led the way, keeping his eyes and senses pealed for any movement - he was still far too keyed up from the rush of fear-laced adrenaline that had hit when he'd seen her about to be swallowed by that pile of snakes.

As they approached the others, Inuyasha noted the sullen posture of the wolf with raised brows, and the cowed look of the monk with amusement.

"Guess I wasn't the only one that had to do some talking, was I?" he smirked over at Sango, who glared over at Miroku warningly.

"No - but it won't happen again, will it, monk?" she questioned acidly, eyes slitted on him, and Miroku swallowed hard before he shook his head.

"No, my dear Sango, it won't," he assured her, almost sweating at the look on her face.

She nodded, a grudging satisfaction on her face, and Kagome laughed. "Wow, Sango... give your hand a workout, did you? How many lumps did you leave on his head this time?"

"Hopefully, enough," she chuckled, then looked over at Sesshoumaru and Kikyou as they stood and approached. "So... is the way now clear to water?"

Kagome searched the area with her ki, and nodded. "I don't sense anything here in this cavern anymore." She laid a very light emphasis on the 'this'. Because she could sense something, somewhere else in the cave system... but she still wasn't sure what it was, and no one else had yet picked up on anything.

With a frown that went unnoticed by anyone else, she cast her senses as far as she could, but still couldn't get a lock on whatever was down there with them - and Naraku.

She was positive that this presence was something else entirely - and whatever it was, it was malevolent.

As if they needed any more of that - Naraku carried enough virulent hatred for a thousand lifetimes...

She shivered at the thought.

A/N: Wow. Finally got that done! Hope everyone enjoys!

Amber