InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mourning of the Bloody Valentine ❯ Cracked ( Chapter 35 )

A/N: What's up, my peoples! I DO have to say that there's not many InuYasha stories worth reading and I hope mine's not one of those…cough. But I don't want to diss any writers but I know there must be good stories but sometimes their so hard to find! Okay thanks for reviewing!

Sakura Maylo G : Hey welcome back! Sorry I scared you in previous chapters, but hey, it was all in good fun! (For me anyway) I believe there will be a good ending after this, but they'll all have to fight for it, you know what I mean? We'll just have to see, too, because I haven't planned anything at all yet, this stuff just streams out of my head and I'm kind of worried it'll turn into some sort of mini-series! Haha okay thanks for reviewing and I hope you can keep reading!

Queen of the Beavers : Haha, I love your name! it's awesome! Okay, so thanks for reviewing and I hope you like! Thanks!

Jaden Blythe : I'm sorry you feel cheated about the shortness of my chappies, but that's how I like it, because if I write in long amounts I feel like I'm repeating phrases and what-not and I get afraid that it'll get boring. I'm also trying to put more description and emotion into it so it will be something more to chew on. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you don't feel that way anymore! ^^

Call Me Shiggy : Hey thanks for the awesome review and I totally agree that good stories are hard to find and I hope mine meets your standards! Okay please keep reading and don't give up on me! Thanks!

And to Everyone in all who reviewed: You Guys ROCK and I just feel so happy whenever I sign on and see so many reviews it makes me feel so privileged and well…worthwhile, if you know what I mean. So thank you SO MUCH!

Mourning of the Bloody Valentine

Chapter Thirty-Five : Cracked

`Life is like an ongoing battle on one huge chessboard…make one wrong move and you'll end up in the discarded box with all the other losers.' Sango smiled wryly and yawned as she walked along behind her male-friends. She focused her thoughts back to the job at hand. This time, she was gonna make sure Kagome was safe, not waiting for anything this time. This time she wasn't going to let herself or Kagome end up in the loser box. Sango rubbed her eyes gave herself a little shake to stay up.

It was beginning to dawn and Sango knew that this could go through the whole day. But, if bagged eyes and inertia were the only price for Kagome's soul, she was more than willing to pay her due. Sango slid her elastic out of her hair to let her hair relax on her shoulders from the tight ponytail she'd donned since yesterday. She shook her hair out to get the cramping from her long straight, locks. Sango took this opportunity to sneak a look at Miroku who was walking silently a few feet from her. His face was an image of a determined man, he was probably tired and getting hungry too, but he wasn't complaining. If so, Sango knew that she could suck it up too. At least until she got to kick Hachi's sorry ass and reclaim Kagome as her best friend.

Miroku noticed from the corner of his eye that Sango snuck a school-girl like glance at him, complete with the quick look away as if she had never even thought about him. He personally thought it was very attractive that Sango was strong enough but there was only so much toughness in her truly girly self. He mentally congratulated himself on finding such a good choice this time round, and his weary look was replaced with a bright smile.

InuYasha, however, was having an ongoing war in his own mind, a battle so fierce that he himself could not put himself at ease. InuYasha forced his mind to return to his happy memories with Kagome. He had to focus. He would NOT break down and get all whiny with everybody depending on him. Especially Kagome.

I opened my eyes, my vision finally starting to focus. I found I could move much more freely than when I was trapped in my mind. I tried to stand, everything was covered with a greenish tint, and I whacked my head on a glass wall.

Ow…I stumbled backwards, only to bump against another glass wall, it seemed. I rubbed my eyes and shook my head to clear that cloudy haze blurring my thoughts. I was feeling this strange sensation WAY too often lately. I reopened my eyes, praying I had only fallen asleep standing in my shower at home. But, unfortunately, that's not how it really was. As I peered confusedly around, I noticed that I was in a bottle. Yes, a BOTTLE. Of some kind anyway. It seemed to be made of stained green glass, giving everything an eerie, cheap sixties-horror-flick look. I noticed I was in a lacy, but light dress with long flared sleeves and edged with intricate lace. It was fitting, and extremely comfortable, and I had to notice…did it have an attached push-up bra? For some reason I was the image of the perfect figure in this dress. I put a hand against the cool glass, when I looked down at me feet. Let's just say I was a little perturbed that I had none. I screamed. I was floating from the knees up! (which was where the dress ended in flourish of lace) Which meant? I should be bleeding all over if I had them severed, and died of blood loss! Died? Ah. I see now. So I'm dead, huh? Well, I had no idea heaven was this…small. And green.

Suddenly Hachi's glass-distorted face appeared. I never realized how…large his face was. He grinned and said, echoing, "How do you like your Sprite bottle, love?" He winked at the look of disgust crossed my face.

"So?" He asked again, "How do you feel in there?" He smiled distortedly.

I cleared my throat, not sure if I could speak at all, "I feel…cheap." I glared heatedly.

He just laughed, "Kagome, you always looked so cute with that pouty face you'd put on!" He brushed some stray bangs of short fur out of his eyes. He frowned, "Don't you like Sprite? I was pretty sure it was one of your favorites…" he mumbled off inaudibly.

"NO…" I said meaningfully, "Dr. Pepper is my favorite, nimrod. Seems like even you, the great stalker; has their faults." I crossed my arms defiantly. I narrowed my eyes at him when I remembered why exactly WHY I was in a cheap plastic bottle.

"So HOW did you get me in here again?" I stared at him, tapping my non-existent foot.

He smiled happily. "I am so glad you asked, darling."

I snorted.

He ignored my rude noise and kept on speaking like I was an insolent child. "You see, Kagome, this was exactly why I couldn't have you…not like how I wanted, anyhow. See, love, I wanted to…how do I say…preserve your fiery spirit you naturally have, but with such a spirit, you surely wouldn't want someone like me."

I raised an eyebrow at his reasoning.

"Yes, I have admitted it," he nodded solemnly, "I am definitely not your type, which I'm sure you too have realized, we aren't meant to be together by fate or whatever nonsense everybody believes in nowadays. I wanted to have you to stay the same, but be tied to me. Like never leaving me and never falling in love with someone else. I wanted a heartbreak-free eternal love, you could say. Impossible says many, but I have found the way. As you are experiencing now, baby." He winked at me.

I gagged loudly then asked him, "So how exactly did someone like you get your paws on something like putting me in here?"

He blinked calmly and continued yet again. I was beginning to think he enjoyed the sound of his own voice. "I didn't shrink you or anything, Kagome. Right now, you don't have a body; you're just the essence of yourself. A soul, simply. That's how I planned to preserve you. Don't you like your spirit gown?"

I looked down at the perfectly tailored and fitting white lacy dress.

"My spirit gown?" I said doubtfully.

He nodded, "Yep, you see, I've been doing research on this for years. My father used it to save my mothers soul when she passed away suddenly. It was very difficult having someone in a glass jar telling me to clean my room. Ahem. Anyhow, I finally retrieved the secret of the process for such a thing from my father on his deathbed. My mother didn't want me to use it on anyone by only a whim and fancy, so I cracked her bottle and allowed her to go to the afterlife. Speaking of the heavenly place, it appears that when you are to go to the afterlife, your spirit is put into a gown that's perfect for you. That's why your dress will probably seem hard to imagine and make in real life. As an actual dress, there is no such dress that you wear as beautifully, because it is made with your soul. It is the soul's slight protection, I suppose. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"I guess…" I had to agree, but I didn't want him to get any funny ideas, and I was tired of conversing with him, trying to play the cooperate game to see if he'd let me out of the pop bottle. I knew it wouldn't work, so I decided to just ignore him. He'd go away eventually. Right?

InuYasha, Sango, and Miroku were walking through yet another seemingly endless cul-de-sac, and Sango was too scared of what InuYasha would scream at her if she even sighed. Or sneezed. Or yawned. Whichever.

InuYasha's ears perked up. His eyes widened, the dull pupils in his eyes suddenly sparkling their usual gold luster. He signaled with a clawed hand to Sango and Miroku to follow.

"I…hear Kagome."

Sango and Miroku nodded and he continued, "It's extremely faint, but I'm pretty sure!" After adjusting Kagome's limp dead-weight body on his shoulder securely, he began running forward past the present cul-de-sac to a small deserted cabin in the small wood past the small road with the family-type houses.

Out of the street and into the woods, InuYasha was in his ideal environment. After about half a minute of full speed movement, he stopped about 20 metres from the small cabin-type hideout Hachi seemed to have constructed. Sango and Miroku came panting after, "In…there?" whispered Miroku.

InuYasha only nodded slowly once, and took a step forward. This time, he wasn't waiting for no wards to stop him. Only his death would stop his determination to hold Kagome, alive and happy, in his arms again.

He darted forward, through the tall surrounding grass, up the first three wooden stairs, and pulled the door open single handedly with a force that ripped the now frail but once solid oak door off its hinges.

He padded into the dark cabin, which appeared to be more of a well house. Old, but pretty modern. It DID have stairs and an opening door instead of the typical old Japanese sliding doors. Shadows were strewn about the dark well house like the spatter of black paint during an artists rage after sneezing while painting Mona Lisa's line of a mouth. Cobwebs and gathered dust thrived in the square, cramped, cold room. InuYasha stepped down the few steps leading to the dark well.

Sango and Miroku were behind him again, looking around cautiously, their weapons at the ready to attack any crazy human/raccoon stalkers high on trash.

"Should we jump through here?" Sango asked slowly.

InuYasha had rearranged Kagome's body in his two arms so not to cause it any damage and had already disappeared over the rotted edge of the well. Sango sighed but held her breath when she heard it. She could hear Kagome. Just barely, but she could identify that it WAS her voice. Why was it so extremely small, and…high pitched like a mouse? Miroku disappeared over the edge next, and Sango just shrugged and thanked every god she knew that Kagome was alright, if not high-voiced. She closed her eyes and jumped down next.

I had been screaming because Hachi, after retaliating to my ignoring him, began tapping, and then finally shaking my bottle. He had finally knocked me over when I stopped screaming obscenities at him at the top of my voice in all languages I could think of. The pig latin had REALLY gotten to him.

I kept screaming as he yelled at me to shut up, but I was prepared for a screaming match: "YOU BIG ASSHOLE I HATE YOU! HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU!!!!! I! HATE! YOU! I'LL NEVER LOVE YOUR STUPID PIG FACE AND I'LL NEVER GIVE IN! AS A SOUL MY VOICE WILL NEVER DIE OUT! HAHA! YOU WILL HAVE TO LISTEN TO MY SCREAMING TO ETERNITY UNTIL YOU LET ME GO BACK TO INUYASHA YOU BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD! BASTARD!!!!"

I screamed with all I could, my fists clenched and my eyes tearing up as I screeched with all that I was worth.

That was when I heard a slight `thup' noise like feet gently hitting the earthen floor. Hachi must've heard it too, because he stuffed my under a nearby cushion in his study-office room, and grabbed some kind of fire emergency axe. I screamed more, though I knew I couldn't be heard.

Later, Sango told me what had happened, but it was kind of sketchy. I finally wretched it out of InuYasha and his clam-mouth. Here's how he said it happened.

Hachi came trotting out of the underground study, patting his axe against his other hand that wasn't holding the handle. InuYasha and Miroku had already dropped down and Sango just came flying down to land upon Miroku who hadn't moved from the drop-zone. After a few choice swears from Sango, but not a single complain from Miroku, InuYasha snarled at Hachi, and placed my body gently to the side of the earth-dug tunnel that led to the lighted study.

"Where's Kagome, Bastard!" He drew his sword to point at the self-pleased Hachi.

"Kagome?" Hachi acted innocent, "You mean my wife? My love? My flower, whom I have so painstakingly transported here in the exact and ideal way I had always wanted her? No InuYasha, you are mistaken. You see, Kagome is MINE. And I intend on keeping it that way." With a smirk, Hachi watched InuYasha hurl himself forward with a roar, sword shining and threatening death in the dim light emanating from the study.

Hachi blocked with his hard axe, both caught in a sword-to-axe pushing and snarling frenzy. When he got the chance, InuYasha yelled to the bruised Sango and Miroku to get to the study and find Kagome's soul.

With a quick and obedient nod, Sango pushed Miroku forward from the side of the tunnel, to avoid the ongoing battle.

Miroku was surprised and asked Sango, "Aren't you coming?"

Sango shook her head, picking up her Hiraikotsu and adjusting her grip on its handles. "You're the one that knows about this mumbo-jumbo and soul transference and whatever. I'm no help in that department. I've gotta help InuYasha kick that fatty's ass. I was guaranteed the ass-whooping this time, remember?" With a wink Sango added a quick throw of her bone boomerang into the throng and drew her katana to attack while in close range. She glanced one quick time over her shoulder, "Go, Miroku!" And she was off.

Miroku smiled at Sango's sense of duty and made for the study.

Miroku ran through the earthy tunnel and ran into the circular room supposed to be the study. He glanced around and began noticing his surroundings: small fireplace, candles, a small closet, and lots and lots of books. And scrolls. Mostly scrolls, that looked like antique and probably full of wisdom and knowledge. If he just had a moment…he could learn so much. But everyone was depending on his speed and efficiency now. He shouldn't. But then again…how long would it take to read a quick paragraph of just one teeny scroll?

……

InuYasha launched himself again at Hachi, who was doing very well, especially after he multiplied himself using strange leaves. Sango was knocking out the clones while InuYasha fought through the fakes in search for the flesh-and-bone Hachi.

"Where the HELL is Miroku?" InuYasha said loudly to Sango who was fighting back-to back with him.

"I don't know! I hope he's alright!" Sango dodged a blow, and happily offered one in return to the copied tanuki.

……

Miroku was sitting on the nearby cushioned chair, intent on reading the scroll, and totally ignoring shouts and war cries not too far off.

He finally looked up. "So THAT's really the reason why women's nipples stick out when it's cold! I never knew such a thing could be so informative and insightful! I feel like my intelligence has already raised points with just that tidbit. Or well, titbit!" Miroku chuckled to himself like the pervert he was, when he finally leaned back on the old chair to hear the crackling of plastic. Like a pop bottle. He froze. Experimentally, he leaned back again to hear a repeat of the noise. He tried again. And, yet again. He pulled back the cushion he had leaned against, to find a small Sprite bottle. It was empty except for…

……

Sango finally hit a skull when she smashed against what she thought to be yet another copy, and a smile broke out on her face as she added another elbow into his gut and knee up his groin. Hachi doubled over, flailing his axe around in a weak attempt to defend himself in his pained state.

"InuYasha! I got him!" Sango yelled, panting. She hadn't had such a good workout since she faked her own death.

InuYasha's mouth turned up into a smirk, a pearly fang peeking out as he closed in on Hachi, to give the final blow; man, was he gonna enjoy this…

……

…one very red faced Kagome. In a pretty shoulder-less dress. Miroku's eyes widened slightly. "Sprite…nice. Oh, and you look gorgeous…as always, Kagome-sama." He said jokingly.

I screamed. "GET ME OUT OF HERE YOU LAZY ASS! STOP READING ABOUT PERVERTED TITS AND SHIT YOU PIG!"

Miroku just smiled in one corner of his mouth. "Yes ma'am."

……

…when InuYasha's blade met Sango's Hiraikotsu bone.

"What the fuckin' hell, Sango!" InuYasha tried to push her to the side, but she stood her ground.

"Don't tell me you forgot our agreement, InuYasha." Sango was dead serious, "I get him."

InuYasha resigned, easing his force on his sword and made a little reluctant but polite hand gesture towards the groaning Hachi. "He's all yours, lady."

Sango smiled as she closed in on her prey like a female tiger predator going in for the kill.

She raised her Hiraikotsu…

……

"So what did he use to get you in there?" Miroku asked quickly as he gripped Kagome's bottle and searched one-handedly through stacks of scrolls and books on the desk.

"A spell, enchantment, I don't know! I was trapped in my own mind, stupid!" I spoke loudly over the echo of my own voice in the sweet sugary smelling bottle.

"I can't find it if I don't know what I'm looking for, Kagome!"

I heard the fighting kind of subside outside and talking. I supposed it was over.

"Never mind, Miroku, I think it's over." I suggested, "Why don't you slow down. Besides, I'm fine, all I need is my…" I paused. "You DID bring my body, right?" I narrowed my eyes warningly.

"Of COURSE, hime-sama. How COULD I forget your beautiful body?" He sniggered.

"BE SERIOUS, ASSHOLE!"

"Yes, yes, we have it…" Miroku said dejectedly.

……

…and thudded Hachi's leg, accompanied by the sound of bone snapping clean in half. Hachi howled as he clutched his weirdly twisted leg as Sango lifted the boomerang again.

"That was for making us run right after dinner. I got cramps." She said blandly.

She smacked the bone back down on his ankle now. He screamed.

"That was for using Shippo during your perverse plan."

Crack. His foot. Yell.

"That was for making us go on a stressful goose chase."

Smack. It was his knee now. He'd never walk tall again.

"THAT was for ruining a perfect chance I had to have a romantic time with Miroku!" She whispered harshly.

"THIS is for me."

She slammed down her Hiraikotsu on his shoulder.

"This is for Miroku."

On his upper arm.

"This is for InuYasha!" Behind her, InuYasha allowed a small smile to grace his stern face.

"And this, THIS is for making Kagome." CRACK. "Suffer." SLAM. "SO." CRACK. "DAMN." WHAM. "MUCH!!"

Hachi fainted, the pain caused his body to shut down. Taking this opportunity, Sango turned to InuYasha.

"Whew. Now that he's in an immobile state…I can guarantee that Kagome won't want you to kill him."

"I know…" InuYasha replied huffily.

"Why don't you go help Miroku and place her soul where it belongs, and then once Kagome's taken out of earshot, I'll do a quick slice across the throat. Painless…unless he's awake…" She smiled slyly.

InuYasha deliberated. He was reluctant; he had vowed that he'd do it. "Could you use Tetsusaiga? I'd feel better knowing that my SWORD would at least have done the job."

Sango smiled, and nodded, wiping a dirt streak of sweat across her forehead.

She reached out a hand to him.

"Agreed."

A/N: Hey guys thanks for reading! I'll update as soon as possible! I wrote a lot here and it took me days to put it all together and make sure I didn't forget Kagome's body or Shippo or anything. I hope you keep reading my story! Please review and don't give up on me!

Ja ne.

-Katana.