InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Malice ❯ Understanding: The Price of Knowledge ( Chapter 12 )

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

Chapter 12: Understanding: The Price of Knowledge

Inuyasha's face was grim as they skidded back into the place they'd camped the night before. The rest of the group already had it packed up and ready to go, and were merely waiting on their two companions.

Apparently, they thought things would be all roses when their friends returned, to judge by the smiling faces that were lifted towards them, but that quickly changed as they saw his anger, and the obvious upset in her eyes. Suddenly, everyone looked uncomfortable, except Kikyou, who looked sad, but unsurprised.

As soon as they halted, Kagome slid off his back and went over to her bag, and swinging it onto her shoulder, went to stand by Sango. "Sango, may I ride with you and Kirara?" Her voice was subdued.

Inuyasha spoke up at that, firmly, with irritation in his voice. "No. You travel with me, Kagome. I'm warning you. Don't think you can hide from me, I meant what I said back there, and from now on, no one else touches you without my permission. Got it?" She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off.

"We'll stand here all day, but we aren't moving until you climb on my back, understand, wench? And yelling 'sit' won't do you any good, either," he said, ignoring the shocked and fascinated stares of the others, "that'll just piss me off. Sooner or later you're gonna learn to listen to me, woman, so you may as well start now."

She glared at him, trying to figure out a way around it, but really couldn't come up with anything that would work, because he was right, sitting him wouldn't do anything but piss him off, and delay everybody by holding things up.

Damn you, Inuyasha!

"Fine!" Stomping back over to him, she grabbed onto his back and allowed him to swing her up, remaining stiffly upright against him. "But get it through your head... you don't own me!"

"Remember what I told you, woman, I meant it." He raised his head and looked at the others, meeting each person's eyes before moving to the next. "Listen up, all of you. Kagome belongs to me, no matter what she says, so don't even think about getting in between us, because I can promise you, it won't be pretty if you try." He shot her a look over his shoulder when she started protesting that shut her up immediately.

"The only reason she's putting up a fight about it is because of some stupid bullshit about her not being 'pure' enough for me anymore - feh, as if I'd let anything get between me and what's mine - even the fucked up bullshit floating around in her head."

He was so busy with Kagome, he didn't notice the sharp look that Kikyou shot her before reassuming her normal stoic expression - but Sango did, because she'd been watching the Miko all morning... and had no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

Maybe she's on the up and up, and maybe she's not, but I'm not letting her out of my sight when she's around Kagome. I'm glad her presence seems to be helping so far, but I'm not taking any chances, either. And what was that look all about, anyway?

Her eyes narrowed on the older priestess, before swinging to rest on Kagome.

Hmmmm.....

Miroku had wondered how traveling with the undead priestess would affect their mobility, but he should have known not to worry - it seemed she could travel quite quickly using her soul collectors. He nodded to himself. This was definitely going to be interesting.

His mind wandered back to that look on her face as they'd taken off, he was pretty sure she had figured out what had happened to Kagome, and knew he should pull her aside and explain his and Kaede's decisions regarding the situation. Settling himself more comfortably on Kirara's back, he looked ahead towards the hanyou - and the young woman on his back.

He sighed. This could get really complicated.

Inuyasha kept up a good pace, for two reasons. He wanted to get a fair distance of travel in for the day, and it kept the wench on his back quiet. He was angry and hurt enough as it was.

He'd often dreamed of the day he'd finally be free to tell Kagome how he felt, and now, because of Naraku, that day had been ruined. There was also guilt, however... because he had been the one to leave her vulnerable to the bastard, so some of the blame lay on him, as well. And having her pressed up against his back, angry and stiff, was not helping matters any.

Shaking his head and breathing deeply, he tried to clear his mind.

Nothing I can do about her sulking right now, so...

Kagome felt him sigh, and stiffened even more, if that was possible.

Damn him anyways.. why can't I get it through his damn head that he can't just claim me as his? What am I, some kind of dogbone? Hmph! Funny timing, I think. And why should I believe him anyways?

Bitterness overwhelmed her, anger and hurt swirling around inside, until all she could think of was getting away from everyone and hiding.

Inuyasha caught the scent of despair coming from her, and tightened his grip on her thighs. Oh no you don't, Kagome... and then felt the jolt when she straightened up, tension skyrocketing immediately.

"Gods, no, I don't want to deal with him, get me away, take me somewhere high up. I don't think I can handle him touching me, please Inuyasha?"

What the...?

Her panic unsettled him, lifting his head, he sniffed, cursing up a blue streak when he caught the scent of wolf. Leaping off the road and hitting the tree line, he deposited her well above the height the wolf could reach, then dropped back to the ground and drew Tessaiga with a flourish, bracing for the arrival of his now former rival.

His actions had surprised his companions - but only for a moment, as Sango and Miroku caught sight of Koga's trademark whirlwind. Kirara turned and dropped down at the side of the road, letting her passengers off to stand by the hanyou's side, they all prepared for the encounter, except for Kikyou, who had her soul collectors drop her next to Kagome on the limb of the tree.

"Kagome?" Kikyou watched her steadily, noting her high color and shaking limbs. "Why do you fear this particular youkai? Has he harmed you before?" Kagome whipped her head around to stare at her, and Kikyou realized that she hadn't even realized she was there.

It's too much... Naraku, you bastard, how did you have the nerve to touch her?

Now she understood fully why the girl felt so tainted, with the level of purity in her soul, just the mere touch of that evil had probably hurt like all the hells, making the her feel violated, let alone the rest of what had happened.

Gods... I knew something vile had been done to her, but this - I don't know if we will ever recover her spirit from an injury this grievous.

"You mean Koga? No, he hasn't really hurt me, but I don't want him to touch me, everytime he comes around he's trying to 'claim' me," her eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a moment, before she glared down at the hanyou below them, "kind of like what Inuyasha's trying to do, now that I think about it." She looked back at Kikyou. "Is that some kind of youkai bullshit or something?"

Kikyou's brow lifted in surprise, she'd never heard Kagome speak like that, and despite limited familiarity with the girl, knew that she didn't say things like that very often, but her ire seemed to be detracting from her panic, so....

"Well, yes, in a way. Youkai are fairly elemental, Kagome, if it isn't claimed by one youkai, it's free for the taking by any youkai that does want it." She shrugged. "Simplistic thinking."

Kagome folded her hands under her arms, and harrumphed. "Bastards. I swear, I'm gonna go back through the well and seal the damn thing, and then let any of them try to claim me again..." her voice trailed off into a pained whisper Kikyou was sure she wasn't supposed to have heard, but did, "or force the issue either."

The way Inuyasha's ears stood straight up at that, Kikyou was fairly sure he'd heard at least part of that as well, and as the whirlwind dropped Koga into the road in front of them, she could feel Inuyasha's youki raging at the thought of anyone trying to take what he considered his, or the idea that someone would hurt Kagome that way, the idea of force, in the way she'd said it, just about sending him off the deep end.

This could get ugly really fast....

"Oi, dog-turd, where'd ya stash my woman?" he growled, clearly irritated at the sight of Tessaiga pointing at him. "And put that shit away, baka. You ain't got no right to be threatening me, I'm simply here to take what's mine. It's time for her to take her place as Alpha female of my pack and my mate, so hand her over and get outta my way, fuckface."

Before anyone could even react to Koga's words, Kagome let out a piercing scream as Kikyou's head jerked up and whipped around to stare out towards the east.

Naraku!

Kikyou hissed and turned back to face the younger girl, reaching over to grab her arm to steady her as she turned an ashen face to her, looking for all the world as if she were the one who were dead.

"Inuyasha!"

"Fuck! I know, Kikyou, I know!" He spun, searching for the source of the scent he'd locked on to, before swinging back to the wolf, who was snarling in rage at the scent of his most bitter enemy. "We'll finish this later, fuckin' wolf, just stay the hell outta my way!"

Sango and Miroku had turned and braced for battle, facing the now advancing wave of saimyousho and miasma. Naraku would be somewhere within the middle of that mess, and they all knew it. Koga was cursing, hatred bleeding through his voice, and Inuyasha landed in front of the group, determined that the dark hanyou wouldn't get any closer to Kagome.

Kikyou turned towards Kagome, trying desperately to keep her steadied as she slid to her knees, landing awkwardly and undoubtedly painfully on the hard limb. Her eyes were flashing rapidly back and forth between a horrifying fear, and a heartbroken rage, as if the girl couldn't decide what to feel.

She was whimpering, and Kikyou had never felt more for a person than she did in that moment - she began to understand what it was about this young woman that made all her companions go to such lengths to protect her, and what it was that bound them to her with so much loyalty.

"Ahhh, Inuyasha, and Koga as well - both my rivals in one place. Convenient." Naraku stepped forward from his miasma and hell bugs, his long, dark hair waving in the breeze and a mocking smile on his face. He looked up for a moment, dark eyes locking on the two women in the tree.

Ignoring Inuyasha's feral growl, his smile grew even wider. "And what have we here, hmm? My past, and my present, both trying to hide from me - as if that will ever work."

"What the fuck do you mean, your past and your present? Nothing in that tree belongs to you, you fucking bastard!"

Kagome was still sitting in a state of near shock, Kikyou was afraid to let her go for fear she'd literally fall out of the tree. Beckoning her soul collectors to her, she set a few of them to keeping Kagome stable and safe, and then had the rest deposit her gently on the ground near Inuyasha. "Why are you here, Naraku? Have you decided that today is a good day to die?"

His brow rose mockingly. "Kikyou. Did you really think to hide her from me? How foolish you've become, woman." He chuckled as Inuyasha's growl rose higher. "Still worried about her, Inuyasha? You've no need to concern yourself - Onigumo may have desired Kikyou, but I, as Naraku, do not. She is safe from me."

Kikyou's breath hissed between her teeth as Inuyasha stared at him suspiciously, Koga and Sango staring first at one, then the other, trying to figure out what was going on.

Miroku, however, was fairly sure he knew where this was going, and couldn't come up with a way to stop it. Not even using the wind tunnel would work, Naraku was surrounded by far too many saimyousho, he'd collapse from the poison long before he could suck the bastard up.

Damn! There's nothing I can do!

Inuyasha was still staring at Naraku, not sure he liked the emphasis on the 'she' he'd spoken of a moment ago. "What are you after, bastard? I doubt you came for a fight, since you're a chicken-shit who doesn't take on his own battles, and you say you didn't come here for Kikyou, so what the fuck are you up to?"

Naraku's eyes narrowed angrily for a moment at the insult, before a smile once again crossed his face... a truly wicked smile. "Why, I came to take back my mate, Inuyasha." As all sound in the clearing fell away, he looked up into the tree where Kagome was crouched and lifted his hand towards her. "Come, beloved - you cannot hide from your mate. I know exactly where you are."

Silence.

Kagome's eyes were frozen, dead. Nothing lived inside her, in that moment, she may as well have been a clay body waiting for a soul, like Kikyou had been on that day so long ago, the day Inuyasha had brought her back by saying her name...

Silence.

Sango couldn't breathe, everything inside her had stopped when she heard those words, and she couldn't bring herself to even contemplate what the dark hanyou was saying, the words just swirled meaninglessly inside her mind, over and over...

Silence.

Inuyasha stood, head bowed, eyes hidden, as still as the grave. As Koga started yelling imprecations at Naraku, he flicked his sword out at the wolf in a move so quick it was virtually unseen, knocking him halfway across the field on the other side of the road without even raising his head, before finally speaking in a deep voice that was eerily, dangerously calm.

"What the fuck are you talking about, Naraku? Kagome isn't marked as any demon's mate - yet, and when she is, it will be by me, not anyone else, and especially not by something as filthy as you!"

"Why, beloved, I'm hurt! You didn't speak of our time together to your friends at all?" He chuckled obscenely. "The day I took Kagome, Inuyasha, the day you were so conveniently absent, might I add, was the day I possessed her, and I took her virginity as surely as I took her purity."

He let out a full-throated laugh at the primal scream of pure rage that echoed through the area from Inuyasha. "Why do you care, anyway, dog - you should be grateful I didn't tou--"

"SHUT UP. You dare!!?? Never speak Kagome's name again!" Inuyasha flicked his wrist, letting out a blast of power from Tessaiga, before finally raising his head... and everyone in the clearing gasped and backed away from him. His youkai crests flared high on his cheeks, writhing and jagged, and his eyes were haloed in red, red which was bleeding into the centers as his youkai blood pulsed - eyes that were filled with madness.

"Kikyou, take Kagome and get away from here. Sango, Miroku, all of you, leave, NOW, and do not return no matter what."

Kikyou turned towards him, reaching out a hand. "Inuya--"

He turned his head to stare at her and she stepped back in shock. He had the look of a man who is already damned, and so sees no reason to hold back, and every reason to destroy everything in his path. It was a look that promised death... a look of hate.

"Go. I'm entrusting her to you." He turned back to face the dark hanyou, completely dismissing her and everyone else. "You die today, Naraku, and for what you've done, I'll see to it that you're sent to the deepest pit in hell, and sealed there for eternity."

Kikyou shook herself out of her shock in time to see Sango pulling a completely catatonic Kagome from the tree and into her arms, before taking off towards the west as fast as Kirara would go. Glancing at the monk, and then once more at Inuyasha, they hurried off, trying to get as far as possible before hell came to earth.

They barely made it.

Inuyasha's mind was blank, filled with white-hot fire, the only things existing for him were hatred and the need for vengeance.

With one single act, Naraku had wiped away any trace of humanity in Inuyasha's heart, and he didn't care who he took down, or how it happened, as long as Naraku was destroyed. Death wasn't enough for him - once he was dead, Inuyasha had every intention of following him into hell to continue torturing him forever.

And even that wasn't enough, it could never be enough... because the knowledge of what he had done to Kagome was something that would never be erased. Inuyasha had wanted to know what had happened to her, but the price of this knowledge was suffering, and he would suffer... eternally.

He had failed her, and this is what it had brought.

Naraku studied Inuyasha, waiting for him to make a move.

Fool... he still hasn't realized that this body is merely another golem. I'm getting better at making them, if they can no longer tell the difference. But this, this reaction of his, is all I could have hoped for. Soon, his youkai blood will eat his mind, and he will destroy himself in his agony... in fact, let me help him down that path a little faster....

"Well, pup? Why are you angry at me? If Kagome was so precious to you, you shouldn't have left her alone." He smirked. "She was so deliciously defenseless, you know. Would you like to know where I took her?" He ignored the hiss from Inuyasha to continue on in a gloating voice. "It was a most... interesting place, Urasue's home, don't you think, Inuyasha?"

He growled, so filled with pain and rage that he couldn't even speak anymore, before leaping forward and swinging Tessaiga in a wide arc, red eyes reflecting the light that burst forth from the spears of adamant as they hit the sunlight on their way towards Naraku.

I want you dead, bastard, dead, but I want you to suffer, more than anyone has ever suffered, I want to wipe you out of existence, deny you breath, deny you everything, Gods above I want to see you screamingas you die a hundred thousand deaths, each more horrible than the last, you FUCKING BASTARD!!!

His mind finally snapped, completely unable to function anymore under the strain of so much agony flooding up from his soul, the screaming in his mind so loud it totally blanked all his senses, and he fell to his knees as the golem exploded, feral snarls ripping through the devastated area as it sunk in that, once again, Naraku had escaped.

It was a long time before he was able to move. He stayed there, his mind, his heart, his soul, just empty, and he felt broken, numb. For the first time in his life, he felt broken.

Nothing had ever hurt this much, not Kikyou's supposed betrayal, not being shot with that damn arrow, not even finding out that she'd died because of Naraku. Nothing could ever hurt this badly, because this was Kagome, and something as beautiful and pure as she was should never have been exposed to the knowledge of his evil, let alone been touched by it.

My sweet Kagome - I left you alone, I betrayed my promise to you, and that you were hurt so badly because of it... Gods, you really must hate me...

Wearily, he struggled to his feet, finally stumbling towards the side of the road that wasn't ripped to shreds and sitting down against a large tree. He stared at the field across the road that he'd just destroyed, absently thinking that the large chunks of adamant sparkling and glittering in the sun were beautiful... its amazing, how much beauty can come from such devastation... and a light clicked on in his tired mind.

That's why she kept saying she was tainted - but I've got to tell her, make her see that no matter what, she will always be beautiful and pure. I feel so ashamed to face you, saiai, but I have to, because I made a vow... his eyes widened as he thought of his promise to Kaede.

She knew! That's why she put such emphasis on making me swear to stay with her no matter what we found out! Damn her! She should have told me... his eyes filled with tears. Dammit - she should have told me!

Taking a deep breath, he fought back the tears, his spinning thoughts, his rage, everything, and concentrated on just breathing in and out, determined to calm himself, for Kagome's sake.

I have to be strong, for her - and I can't leave her, because that would be the worst betrayal, even worse than the last one, and it would leave her unprotected, again. No. I can't afford to chase that fucking bastard down like I want to do, I have to stay by her side and protect her. I need to find where they went.

I swore I wouldn't leave her again, and I won't break that promise, not this time.

He stood, after sniffing the air for a moment, and started off after the traces of Kagome's scent, when a sudden thought stopped him cold. I forgot about Koga!

Turning back, he ran to the place he'd tossed the wolf just before hitting Naraku's golem, but there was no trace of him. Crouching, he looked at the ground closely, and was actually relieved when he found no signs of blood, nothing to indicate the stupid wolf had been hurt.

Standing once again, he sniffed the air - and growled angrily when he realized that Koga had followed after Kagome and the others.

Dammit! That fucking flea bitten smelly wolf is going to send her off the deep end if he tries to touch her! I've got to get to her before he does!

Taking his bearings, he looked around one more time, the rage still bubbling in his soul as he vowed once again to destroy Naraku for what he'd done. Then, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again, he put it away and leaped into the air, determined to find her and keep her safe from everything, wolves, dead priestesses, Naraku, well-meaning friends....

Even himself if he had to. Nothing would ever hurt her again.