InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Blood ❯ Despair ( Chapter 7 )

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Author's notes:

Guess who's back? ^_^ Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, I know that so many people were waiting for this chapter, but well, this is my last year of college, so it's been a little busy. But I did manage to get this chapter JUST perfect. I hope you enjoy…and please don't kill me.

Also, I hope this chapter doesn't upload in screwy format again.

WARNING: The following chapter is INTENSE.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I take any credit for Romiko Takahashi's genius, but I thank her for making such enjoyable characters to write about.

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REVIEWERS: Thank you SO much for your kind words and your patience! I hope this chapter was worth the wait! One again, I appreciate all your reviews! I love yous guys!

@ SPLENDID GODDESS: You are SO cool! You're reviews are like happy pills for me! And yes, Lucy's methods, while unethical, do seem like they'll work. *wink* I hope you enjoy this chapter!

@Lunabell: (Blush) “Awesome writer.” Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my stories. And YOU are an AWESOME reviewer. HAH!

@Angel-up-above-heaven: I hope you remember your password soon. Nevertheless, it's great to have you reviewing for me again! And yes, there are times when I also yell, “Holy crap” and “kiss her” while writing. Thank you so much!

@Lady Karma: I wonder what your suspicions are? Not to pat myself on the back, but I doubt you can see what I have in store for you! You'll have to stick around to find out. ^_^ Thanks so much!

@Kagome01234567890: Wow! I'm glad you liked Nightwalker. Gosh, you're so sweet! I hope I can meet your expectations!

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Chapter Seven: Despair

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“Mommy?” Kagura was awake immediately. Turning to her side, she smiled at Taiki, who was still tugging on her fingers as though she hadn't heard him. “What is it Taiki?” Kagura cooed, scooping the boy up and onto the bed. “Did you have another bad dream?”

“Kagura…” Sesshoumaru sighed as he rolled over to face her.

She frowned at his exasperated tone, tapping his shoulder with the back of her hand. “Oh come now. I can't be affectionate toward my little boy without you being jealous?”

Her mate sat up, staring at her stoically. “This Sesshoumaru does not get jealous over his own son. He will never learn to grow if you continue to coddle him so.”

Kagura hugged Taiki to her chest protectively. “He's a child Sesshoumaru, and soon he will be a young man before we're even aware of it. There will be plenty of time for you to mold him into a family leader then.”

Sesshoumaru reached over and snatched Taiki from his mother's lap and put him down gently on the bed. Taiki folded his legs under him and looked from his father to his mother and back again. “Um,” he began timidly, “Uncle Inuyasha wanted me to call you for him.”

“Oh?” Sesshoumaru placed his hand on the boy's head, ruffling his hair. “And where did your uncle go?”

“He went down to the kitchen with Lilly to talk to the wolf man.”

Sesshoumaru pushed the covers away from his legs. “I see. Stay with your mother, Taiki.”

He walked out of the room, just as Taiki settled into bed next to Kagura. Entering the kitchen, he noticed Kouga. He was leaning forward, with his elbows on the table and his hands folded in front of his eyes. Inuyasha and Lilliana sat across from him. “Took you long enough, your majesty.” Kouga said without looking up.

Sesshoumaru raised his brows but did not respond to Kouga's quip. Instead, he settled into the seat next to his brother. “I see you've regained consciousness.”

Kouga raised his head slightly, his eyes dark with what looked like anger and despair. “I heard what happened to Toji. And before you say anything, I don't blame you, or your family for his death.”

“And why is that?”

“He was always reckless. He was newborn. If anyone is at fault for what happened to him, it's me. I should have been clearer when I told him about the dangers of our world.” He leaned back from the table and brushed his bangs away from his eyes before staring calmly at Sesshoumaru. “I'm guessing you want to know what I saw when I was attacked?”

“If you would be so kind.”

Kouga shook his head, and took a deep breath. “There isn't much to tell. I went outside the club to hunt and then I sensed an ambush seconds before the attack came. There was nothing to do afterward but try and stay alive.”

Inuyasha leaned forward. “Can you describe the attack? Did you feel danger approaching?”

Kouga frowned at Inuyasha. “What are you talking about? I just said that I sensed an ambush.”

“That's not what I meant. Did you have a sense, a sort of knowing, a gut feeling that something was off, something was coming, or someone was in danger?”

Kouga blew out air between his clenched teeth and then said in a very controlled voice, “I just said, I sensed an ambush, right before it happened. I have no idea what kind of `sensing' you're talking about. What more do you want? Or are you just trying to drill me for information instead of listening to what I have to say?”

“Inuyasha.” Sesshoumaru said coldly. It was a warning. Inuyasha faced his brother with a look of determination on his face. Sesshoumaru gave him a questioning nod.
“I trust that it is relevant?”

“It is.” Inuyasha said. Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side skeptically, but then said, “Very well.”

“Kouga,” Inuyasha began. “I'm not trying to waste your time. I want to know, if, before any attack, before you even went out of the club to hunt, did you sense that something was wrong, that you were in danger, that something had gone wrong? A sort of…premonition, in which you just knew that something was off.”

Kouga shook his head. “Nothing like that. Everything was completely normal. I went outside, and then noticed the ambush seconds before it happened. Simple as that.”

Lilliana placed a hand on Inuyasha's upper arm. He looked at her, and saw her shake her head. She was asking him to stop. Noticing the exchange, Kouga leaned forward. “You've had this kind of experience?”

Lilliana squeezed Inuyasha's arm. He looked from her worried face to Kouga's suspicious one. He opened his mouth, but then shook his head. Telling Kouga that he could possibly sense when these attacks could be happening was dangerous. If word got out that the King's family had a way to notice these attacks and wasn't taking preventative measures to stop it, their family's already ill relations with their subjects could plummet. It wouldn't matter whether or not Inuyasha and Lilliana didn't understand these knew “senses.” All that would matter is that the public knows that they have the power to stop something and they're not bothering to use it. No, Inuyasha thought, nodding at Lilliana to tell her he understood. It was best to discuss this new development with Sesshoumaru in private.

“I haven't.” he said finally. “But Kagome did, when she touched you.”

Kouga's suspicious expression melted only to be replaced by a vicious scowl. Through clenched teeth, he said, “You tried to have her look through my memory without my consent?”

Sesshoumaru rose from his seat. The move was so sudden that Kouga was momentarily taken aback. “Yes, I forced her, against her conscience, to search for a clue about these attacks so that we could take preventative measures if there were any. No one in this household wishes to intrude on your privacy. However, at the time, you were screaming and thrashing in your sheets. Your family members wished to know what was tormenting you so, and my family members are charged with the order and safety of all nightwalkers.”

Kouga stared at Sesshoumaru and then, overcoming the intimidation, said slowly, “Well if you found what you were looking for, why are you questioning me for information then huh?”

“We didn't find anything.” Lilliana spoke. Her expression remained neutral and professional, even when Kouga glared at her. “Kagome failed to see your memories. Instead, when she touched you, she herself began screaming. What she described was a whirlpool of despair and paranoia. Care to enlighten us about that experience?”

Suddenly Kouga became pale. He placed his hands on his lap, his fingers trembling. “That…it happened right as I was being attacked. I was having my ass handed to me by those things. They threw me down, I was bleeding left and right, I couldn't feel my arms because I had lost so much blood. I felt nothing but pain, and I couldn't see. And then, I saw one of those things leaning over me, and I suddenly felt this intense fear. I knew that I was going to die. And I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop it. For some reason, this black, thing, came down on me. I couldn't see, I couldn't feel my body; all I knew was fear and despair. And then I…”

Kouga held his head, and then stood, stumbling backward for a moment. Lilliana reached him first. She placed her hands on his shoulder and back, steadied him, and helped him down on the floor before he lost his balance. Kouga began gasping.

He looked up to stare at Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, who were leaning over him with a mixture of curiosity and concern. “You don't have to continue if you don't want to.”

But he did continue, as though he needed to tell someone. “When I was in that place, I head…him.”

“Who?” Sesshoumaru asked.

“I don't who it was,” Kouga said breathlessly. “He said, `Kill him, take out his heart.' After that, I can't remember anything.”

Kouga fainted, his head falling on Lilliana shoulder. “Hey.” Lilliana blushed, but she didn't push Kouga away. “Are you all right?”

“Sorry.” Kouga said, putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her away. “Every time I think about that place…that black thing, him…I don't know, I want to start screaming and thrashing. In the end, I feel like I'm running out of strength.”

“This explains what Kagome described.” Seshoumaru said.

“What do you mean?” Kouga rose, wobbling. Lilliana steadied him by holding his upper arm.

“Kagome said that she experienced that same `nothing' you felt. She told us of the fear the despair. She also described someone out there with the ability to make her suffer, to kill her at any time.” Inuyasha said. “So there really is someone out there like that.” Inuyasha turned to Lilliana.

“Looks like we have the proof you were looking for after all, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru, there must someone leading these things in their attack.”

“That would mean that…what is it, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha had suddenly gone rigid. He took a deep breath, his eyes widening. Kouga and Sesshoumaru stared at him without once noticing that Lilliana was suddenly shaking. Her fearful whisper went unnoticed because Inuyasha spoke at the same time. “Kagome's scent. She's close.”

Suddenly he was out of the room before Sesshoumaru and Lilliana could stop him. As he ran toward the door Lilliana yelled. “No, Inuyasha stop, please! It's coming right now!”

Then she ran after him, without once hearing Sesshoumaru demand that she explain herself. Lilliana ran after Inuyasha, saw him open the front door and run out into the clearing. But by then it was too late.

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Kagome looked over her shoulder one more time to see if she wasn't being followed. No one. Not even a rustle. She took a long inhale. No scent stood out. Strange. She was sure that Lucy would send someone to tail her. In her attempt to get away, and with the excitement of being reunited with her family, the strangeness of her freedom had slipped her mind. Lucy had been adamant on keeping her locked away. It seemed strange that she would let Kagome loose so easily. She had to have been up to something. Then again, Kagome thought, I swore not to tell the family what I know. Could it be that she was being paranoid? Or was Lucy really scheming something?

Kagome shook her head. She was getting closer and closer to the family home. If Lucy really had let her loose, Kagome would be allowed to speak to her family members. Someone would have stopped her by now. She was just at the edge of the clearing when she picked up Inuyasha's scent. He was heading her way. He knew she was there? Kagome began to run faster. The moment she stepped in front of the house, the double doors opened.

Inuyasha stumbled outside with Lilliana, her face pale, right behind him. Kagome froze, waiting, unsure of what she was going to say, unsure of Inuyasha's reaction. That one moment felt like it stretched on for hours as all kinds of emotions flashed across his face. Finally, a look of pure relief and anticipation appeared…only to be replaced seconds later with a look of terror. And, within seconds, Kagome found out what he was so afraid of.

She sensed it a second too late. Kagome fell forward hard against the ground, grunting as her back sizzled with agony. She felt the wetness of her own blood, heard Inuyasha cry her name, and saw him try to run to her, only to be blocked when something appeared in his way. Then Kagome felt another hard thud against her back. She rolled over, gritting her teeth against the pain, and managed to get back on her feet long enough to see the thing that was attacking her. It was a nightwalker with…horns?

Kagome didn't even have time to be surprised, because the horned nightwalker was suddenly attacking her with furious speed. She jumped, ducked, and danced backwards from its attacks, her heart thumping faster then the thousands of hoof-beats in a stampede, her eyes watering from burning wound that was slowing her down. Her back hit a tree, and Kagome only had a second to dodge and jump behind the trunk before the nightwalker slammed its black, clawed hand into it. The wood crackled, splinters flying off in different directions, and yet the demon didn't jump behind the trunk to chase Kagome. It wasn't long before she realized that its hand was stuck. Whirling around the trunk and behind the demon, Kagome did the first thing she could think of. She grabbed the thing's head, and twisted it. The horrible crack of bone echoed in Kagome's ears, the thing's head swung awkwardly to the side, and, for a moment, Kagome couldn't move. She stood, staring, shaking, looking down at the blood on her hands and then at the headless body that was decomposing against the tree trunk.

She'd just killed a human.

A roar reached her ears, and Kagome was able to finally look away. She saw Inuyasha, Lilliana, and Sesshoumaru fighting in the distance. She could see the desperation in their movements. Kagome raced toward them, but suddenly, another demon jumped in front of her, as she was a mere step away from Inuyasha.

“Inuyasha! Cut off their heads!” Kagome half panted, half screamed, as the demon in front of her started attacking. Then there was another demon, it came at her as ruthlessly as its partner, and again, Kagome found herself fighting for her life. Her back burned each time she dodged, her movements slowed each time she tried to attack, and soon, it was all she could not to get sliced open by their endless barrage of claws. Then, one of the demons pounced on her, tackling her to the ground. Suddenly, all thought was gone from Kagome's mind. All she could think of was to escape. With all the strength she could muster, she threw off the demon, jumped back onto her feet, and fled into the forest, without daring to look back.

All of the pain she felt was forgotten as the sound of footsteps spurred her forward. Trees began to blur together as her eyes filled with tears and her heart filled with nothing but panic. Then, Kagome tripped. Rolling over onto her back, she saw the demon jump at her. Survival instincts told her what to do. The moment the thing was on her, Kagome reached out, grabbed its head and twisted. It fell against her, and Kagome wriggled out from under the body, watching the other demon come toward her. She spread her hands, ready to kill it, and then suddenly Kagome froze again. The thing was coming at her, but Kagome couldn't move. Fear, and the sudden realization of what that thing really was, made it impossible for her to attack. It couldn't have been…no one would do something so cruel…but it was, and it was coming right at her! She'd be dead in a matter of seconds.

It was on her, ripping into her skin. Kagome screamed, trying to fight back. But her strength was exhausted. The thing came forward, its mouth wide, inches away from her chest.

Whether it was seconds or hours, Kagome didn't know what happened next. One moment she was staring at death, and the next there was nothing. Blinking, as intelligent thought slowly came back to her, Kagome pushed herself up into a sitting position. She looked around.

There, standing next to the headless body of her attacker, with a scimitar in his hand, was Narek. Before Kagome could say anything, he looked at her coldly and said, “Why did you hesitate?”

Kagome opened her mouth, closed it, breathed, and then said, “They…they are…they're kids. Kids and teenagers…I couldn't…I just couldn't…”

Narek came up to her, grabbed her arm and hoisted her up. “They're dead.” He said harshly. “If you have room for pity, you'll be dead too.”

Kagome yanked her arm out of his hold. “How could you be so cruel? Someone is willing to take the lives of these children away! There must be some way to-”

There sounds of breaking twigs and rustling bushes made her turn her head. Six more demons appeared in the clearing. Kagome shuddered as the dead eyes of children and teens rested on her. Seconds later, they charged and Kagome froze, unable to bring herself to fight back, but the demons never reached her.

Without even flinching, Narek sliced off the head of each demon with his sword. Kagome fought the urge to vomit as she watched each head roll on the floor. She didn't want to see it, but she couldn't look away as both the bodies and the heads began to smoke and decompose.

“Which is more important to you? Their unchangeable fate or your life?”

Kagome's throat hurt. She tried to hold back the tears, but her damn eyes betrayed her. It wasn't until she felt Narek grab hold of her wrist and start dragging her away that she snapped out of her stupor. “What are you doing? Let me go! Inuyasha and the others are still fighting those things. I have to go back! They could be hurt!”

Kagome dug her heels into the ground, trying to pry Narek's fingers off her wrist. “Those things are after you. Leave. Your family will be spared.”

“No, damn it! Let go! I'm not going back! I have to know if Inuyasha-”

Narek turned, and pulled Kagome's arm so hard, that she fell against him. He grabbed her chin, forced her to look into his green eye, and said, “Sleep.”

Kagome felt her consciousness slip away. She fought to keep her eyes open, to keep her body standing, but her muscles turned to goo. She barely heard Narek speak again as her body began to fall.

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“Have you lost your mind?”

Kagome sat up. She was sitting on the couch in Lucy's living room, and her body was aching all over. She winced and looked down. Bloody bandages covered her naked chest and arms, but Kagome could care less about the pain she felt from her wounds. The rage she felt was much worse.

“What possessed you to bring her here? I told you to make sure that no one pursues.”

Kagome ground her teeth together. She placed her feet on the floor and reached for her shirt, which had been thrown on the table next to the couch. Slipping the torn piece of fabric over her head, she waddled toward the door. Lucy's voice was coming out of the guest room. She stomped into the room, intent on afflicting as much physical harm as she could, but a sickening and familiar scent stopped her in her tracks.

Narek's was standing by a bed. Next to him was a small table with bandages, alcohol, and several other silver utensils Kagome didn't recognize. But it wasn't the medical supplies that Kagome was staring at; it was the patient on the bed.

“Lilly!” Kagome pushed Lucy aside, covering her mouth with both hands as she took in Lilliana's appearance. Her face was ghostly white, her breathing ragged. Blood stained her yellow blouse and part of her jeans. Her arms, legs and face were covered in purple bruises and red cuts. “Oh no!”

Narek grabbed Kagome's arm and pushed her toward a chair. “You're in my way.” Then he faced Lucy. “Bring me something these two can wear.”

Lucy glared at Narek, but strode out of the room. Narek pointed at Kagome. “You. Sit.” And she quickly found herself sitting, unable to move. “Why you-”

Narek ignored her. He turned back around, grabbed Lilliana's shirt and ripped it down the middle. Kagome squeaked. “What the hell are you doing, you bastard?” She tried to break out of Narek's invisible hold, but found that she couldn't even move a finger.

“This wound needs to be closed. She's lost a lot of blood. Now be quiet, I need to concentrate.”

Kagome watched as Narek made quick work of Lilliana's injuries. He pulled what looked like several black stones from the open wound on her chest. Kagome cringed when she heard Lilliana hiss and groan as Narek cleaned her cuts with alcohol. She tried not to yell in horror when Narek placed his hands flat over Lilliana's heart, breasts, and upper belly. Narek closed his eyes, breathed out and in slowly and then took his hands away. He then reached for a basin of hot water and soaked a towel in it before he began to whip all the blood off Lilliana's torso. When he was finished, he tossed the bloody towel in the basin, and Kagome couldn't help but stare in awe at Lilliana's chest.

“How do you do that?”

The horrible between Lilliana's breasts and upper belly had become nothing but a small red discoloration on her chest. Instead of answering her question, Narek said, “Her skin is still tender. She'll have to rest for a while.” He wasted no time in wrapping bandages tightly around her chest and torso. He then healed the bruises on her face and the cuts on her arms and legs. When he was finished, Narek swayed slightly, rubbing his forehead with his palm. “Damn.”

“How severe were her wounds?” Lucy asked as she came into the room. She placed a green nightgown on the bed.

“The lacerations on her chest were the worst of them. They had cut deep enough to see part of the sternum and several ribs. I've sealed the most dangerous and painful wounds, but I don't have the strength to heal the rest of her cuts. She'll have to rest for a while so she can heal on her own.”

“Hypnotize her enough so that she doesn't wake. You're going to take her back once she fully recovers, understand?”

Narek stiffened and looked at Lucy contemptuously. Finally he nodded. “Good. Now get out of here so I can dress this girl.”

Without saying anything, he gathered the bloody washcloth and the medical supplies and walked out. When Narek closed the door behind him, Lucy turned to Kagome. “Don't do anything stupid. You'll reopen your injuries.”

Kagome stood, and was about to say something, but then Lucy shoved a pair of jeans and a T-shirt into her stomach. “Oof! What's the big idea?”

“Do you want to stay in those ripped and bloody clothes?” Lucy said as she nonchalantly pulled off Lilliana's pants. Grumbling, Kagome turned around and changed clothes. When she was finished, she noticed that Lucy had finished changing Lilliana and had pulled the covers up to her chin. “That fool. When it comes to this girl, he loses all his senses.”

“I'm guessing that you're going to send her back and keep me here again?” Kagome didn't even have to wait for Lucy's answer. She knew what she was saying was true.

Lucy crossed her arms patiently. “Oh, I can just feel your anger in the air.”

“I'm not angry. I'm furious! Let me guess: you let me out to see if those slaves were really after me, is that it?”

“You just read me like a glove, don't you?”

“How dare you! You kidnap me, hold me against my will, tell me you can't let me go, and now you use me as bait? Is that what I am to you? Some toy you keep in the closet, only to play with it when it's convenient?”

“Don't get all self-righteous on me. I told you that you were in danger.”

Kagome exploded. She threw a punch at Lucy's face, but her attack never connected. Lucy grabbed her wrist and then whirled around behind her, twisting her arm behind her back. “Now you listen to me. These things are indeed after you. And from what Narek told me, you were just standing there, waiting to be eaten. I can't afford to let you loose or risk those things getting a hold of you.”

Kagome yelped as Lucy twisted her arm more forcefully. “So what? You're going to keep me prisoner again? You're not going to tell the rest of the world what's going on? You're going to let more human kids become slaves while I'm safely cocooned here away from harm? Owwwww!”

“Oh believe me, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get these attacks under control. Until these assaults have ended, I'm not letting you out of this house. You can hate me all you like, your predicament is not going to change. Unless you want to make your stay here a real living hell, you'd best behave yourself.” She kicked Kagome hard in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her. Kagome fell to the floor, gasping. She turned her head to glare hatefully at Lucy.

“Just what are you hiding that you are so afraid of? What could be so awful that the great and powerful Lucy can't handle?”

Lucy did not answer her question. She raised a hand, and Kagome thought she was going to slap her, but, instead, Lucy opened the door and left. Kagome stared at the spot where Lucy had been for several moments before she crawled toward the bed and sat against it. She then pulled her knees to her chest and cried. She cried for Lilliana, she cried for her lost freedom and the helplessness she felt, she cried for kids that were being turned into slaves, and, most of all, she cried for Inuyasha.

She'd never thought she'd miss him so much. Did he get hurt? Was he lying in his bed back at the family home, recovering from the same injuries as Lilliana? What had he been doing these past few months? How worried was he? Had he searched for at all? Kagome sobbed as she replayed that moment in the clearing over and over in her mind.

Inuyasha had looked so angry. Kagome shouldn't have been surprised. She had suddenly reappeared after months of nothing. Of course he would be angry. But it wasn't his anger that made her upset. It was the look of utter relief that had appeared on his face that had made her heart break in two. Kagome knew Inuyasha would blame himself if anything happened to her. It was in his nature. After all that he had put her through ten years ago, he was committed to make things right for them, to make their relationship work even though they didn't really love each other. He had tried his best to make her happy by giving her the freedom she had wanted for the last ten years. He had promised never to show her the guilt he felt for what he had done to her ten years go. Yet, deep down, Kagome knew that those feelings of remorse were still in him. She knew that he still doubted whether or not he could make things right between then. She hated herself for making him feel that way. She hated how weak she was. But, most of all, she hated Lucy for keeping her from reassuring him that she was safe and that what was happening to her wasn't his fault.

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Author's notes:

Once again, please review! And don't hurt me! I've done my best to keep this one grammatically correct. But if I missed anything, I will go back and fix things later! I hope you liked! Till next time. Jian out.

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