InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nightwalker ❯ Breakdown ( Chapter 22 )

 

FINALLY finals are over and I have the time to come back and FIX my mistakes in this chap!

 

Hello all! So sorry this took so long, but it's stress-central over here. It's finals' time down at college and let me say that I've got my hands full (with philosophy…it wouldn't be so hard if my teacher taught us about the philosophers we are supposed to be writing about).

 

Anyway, please forgive any spelling mistakes. I wanted to get this out, so I had to hustle. I'll fix it when my brain has the ability to solve complex procedures…like checking for mistakes…ugh…

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, nor will I be a thief as to take credit for the Brilliant Romiko Takahashi's work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part Twenty-Two: Breakdown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several days passed since Inuyasha's appearance. He came and went quickly, always returning with some sort of news, and usually at night while Kagome was asleep. She was beginning to lose her patience. It was like he was avoiding her. That and the fact that he didn't seem to be too negatively affected by fasting were starting to grate Kagome's nerves. Her best chance for learning any information, since Inuyasha was keen on keeping her ignorant, was to pretend she was asleep and listen to Lilliana and Natalia exchange words.

 

Though Kagome still wasn't sure if her meeting with Inuyasha the night he returned was real or dream, she still wondered how he was doing so well when he hadn't bitten her in so long. One evening, she caught a talk between Lilliana and Natalia wondering the same thing, but none of it quenched Kagome's curiosity.

 

“His temperature has risen at least five degrees. Even for a nightwalker that's not normal.” Natalia mused.

 

“I don't understand it. He should be cold, not burning. He hasn't fed in months, and he's been exerting himself for who knows how long since we separated. How is this possible?” Lilliana asked.

 

“I don't know, but a lot of things about Inuyasha's addiction are strange. Like the fact that he developed a dependence after biting her only once.”

 

“And the fact that he's carrying Kagome's scent all over him.” Lilliana continued.

 

“That's strange too. It's almost like her scent is mixed with his. Could it be from her blood?”

 

“Perhaps.” Kagome heard Lilliana stand up and walk by her bed. “Things really aren't going well.”

 

“If only we could call Rukiya. I hate not being able to do anything.” Natalia sighed.

 

Kagome could sympathize with her. She felt useless in Inuyasha's family. It wasn't in her nature to sit in the sidelines and wait for something to happen. She always attacked things head on. Unfortunately, when she did act on impulse, she ended up doing more harm then good; what happened back in Tokyo was proof of that. Though she tried to stay positive in her situation, Kagome couldn't help but feel like she was just a piece of meat, ready to be bitten at any time. How much longer was their war going to last?

 

Luckily, for Kagome, in the next few days, Inuyasha had gotten word from Albier that Rukiya wanted them to move. He ordered Lilliana and Natalia to prepare for departure at any time. From what Kagome “heard,” it sounded like their enemy was inching closer to where they were hiding. Lilliana was anxious to leave in order to prevent the incidents in Tokyo from repeating. It felt so long ago, Kagome reflected. Back then she hadn't had the slightest clue that the terrible string of murders happening in her hometown had anything to do with supernatural beings.

 

“Where did Rukiya say we should meet?” Natalia asked Inuyasha one night when the four of them sat in the living room making plans. It was a rare moment when Kagome was included, and she knew that it meant they would be departing soon. Of course, to Kagome's irking irritation, Inuyasha still avoided eye contact with her most of the time.

 

“She said to meet `at the place where it showers glass.' I'm not sure what it means. She said you would know.” Inuyasha gestured to Natalia.

 

“Ah, Moscow. Time to head on home.” Natalia smiled. “First we visit Lilliana's badland and now we visit mine. Who's next? Albier? I haven't been to Paris in a long time.”

 

“So that's where we are meeting? Are you sure that's what Rukiya referred to?” Kagome wrinkled her nose. She was so tired of snow. Why couldn't they go back to California where it was warm?

 

“I'm sure.” Natalia looked about the room once and then abruptly stood, asking Inuyasha to be excused.

 

“What's with her?” Kagome muttered when Natalia left the room, slamming the door behind her.

 

“Isn't it obvious?” Lilliana answered.

 

Kagome gave her a half glare half confused look. “We're going to her badland.” Inuyasha reminded her, standing. “The place where she spent the last of her human life.” Lilliana closed her eyes.

 

“Is a badland that terrible?” Kagome asked.

 

Lilliana didn't answer her. Instead, she looked down at her hands and excused herself as well. Nervous that she had asked something offensive, Kagome turned to the only nightwalker left in the room, though she wasn't sure if Inuyasha would talk to her. “Did I say something wrong?”

 

Inuyasha paced around the room, his face contorted in what looked like forced concentration. To Kagome's surprise, he finally spoke. “Sort of.”

 

“What does that mean?” Kagome was tired of his responses. It always felt as though he put a hidden meaning in them that only he understood.

 

“You've never died. Imagine what it must feel like to come that close to death and then have to return the place it happened.” He said.

 

Kagome shivered. “I've never thought of it that way.” After a short pause she said, “Was that what it was like for you?”

 

“No.” Inuyasha sat back down on the other end of the couch, a considerable distance between them.

 

“You sure sound cocky.” Kagome grumbled.

 

“ I've never felt it that because I was never human.”

 

Though she guessed what a natural born nightwalker was, Kagome never really applied it to the family. She always assumed that there was a human portion in each of their pasts. Hearing Inuyasha tell her that he did not have that life made Kagome rethink her opinions on some of the family members. She didn't know the details. Was she being that prejudice? Did she have a bias against Inuyasha because he was never human?

 

“So that's what a natural born nightwalker is?” She asked. “What does it really mean?”

 

Inuyasha took a moment to reply. Kagome squinted through the dark and saw that he was trying to find the right words. “Usually, human born nightwalkers have one parent: the one that created them. Natural born nightwalkers have two.”

 

“Like a mom and dad?” Kagome's jaw dropped. “You mean through reproduction?” She gasped and gawked at Inuyasha as though he were an alien.

 

Inuyasha nodded. “That's how Sesshoumaru, Kagura and I were born.”

 

“But I thought nightwalkers couldn't have babies?” Kagome bit her lower lip.

 

“When will you stop clinging to those stupid vampire myths.” Inuyasha barked. “Of course we can have kids. It's not like we don't have reproductive organs.”

 

Kagome blanched for she knew that all too well. The idea that Inuyasha was born by normal means seemed really strange. In fact, he himself always seemed otherworldly to her. He seemed ethereal the night he appeared in her apartment, and when he returned after three months' absence. She didn't see him as a monster, but she didn't count him as normal either. He was like a separate entity, beautiful, dangerous, and pushy. Now, for some reason, she felt that Inuyasha was suddenly acting more cold toward her.

 

It wasn't that he was cruel, more like he wanted nothing to do with her. He rarely looked her in the eye, and if he was in the same room, he made it a point to stay as far away from her as possible. Since his return, his attitude regarding her seemed completely different. He wasn't this indifferent to her before.

 

Needless to say, their relationship wasn't perfect prior to his return, but at least back then he didn't act like she didn't exist. Of course what was between them was only physical. Kagome fought against the rising blush, but she knew that it was true. There was no real love between them. She never really thought about her feelings toward him. If anything she still hated his guts, but it didn't mean she wanted something terrible to happen to him…and it also didn't mean that she wanted him to hate her.

 

“Are we really that abnormal to you?” Inuyasha asked, breaking her from her brief reflection. Kagome looked up at him to see that he was staring straight ahead.

 

“Kind of.” Kagome replied. He looked at her from the corner of his eye for a second before going back to his usual gaze. “Before all of this craziness, I hardly believed that any of your kind existed. For someone like me, who grew up being skeptical to the paranormal, it is kind of weird to suddenly find out that what I believed in for most of my life wasn't true. To me, you guys are a little strange, but how often does a normal human find out that there are things on this planet that aren't human or animal.”

 

Inuyasha harrumphed. “I suppose that makes sense.” He stretched. “So we're not monsters to you?”

 

“You're not.” Kagome looked down to her lap.

 

“Then who is?” Inuyasha pressed.

 

“The nightwalkers you guys are fighting. If Narek, Fenrir, and Hakudoshi are this bad, I wonder how terrible this nightwalker king is.” She said.

 

Inuyasha growled. “That bastard.”

 

“You really hate him.”

 

“Of course I do. He throws away nightwalker and human lives away as if they were nothing.” He hissed.

 

Not liking where the conversation had gone, Kagome decided to switch to the topic that had gone astray. “So, what happened to your parents?” She asked.

 

Inuyasha flexed his jaw. Again, it took him a moment to answer. “My mother died a long time ago.”

 

“And your father?” He didn't answer and Kagome felt that she had touched something really personal. Then he said, “He's dead too.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Why the sudden interest?” Inuyasha asked. Why did his voice sound so hoarse?

 

“Just curious.” Kagome answered. “So when are we leaving?”

 

“As soon as we can. I don't want the events in Tokyo to repeat itself. When we stay in one place for too long, nightwalker `hunters' come after us. After what happened to Richard and Claire, I don't think I'd like any of those humans meddling anymore.” Inuyasha leaned forward on his knees.

 

Kagome was about to open her mouth to say something but Lilliana's sudden reappearance quieted her. Inuyasha stood when she appeared, his eyes scanning her. Lilliana was rasping and her hair was tousled, an urgent look upon her face. She didn't have to say anything to tell Inuyasha what was wrong.

 

“They're close?” He asked. She nodded. “You need to make tracks if they are going to follow our scent. Natalia is waiting downstairs.”

 

“You sound like you're not coming.” Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

 

“I'm going to regroup with Albier and help him draw them off. Two scents are stronger then one. I'll meet up with you later.”

 

“Fine.” Inuyasha put a hand on her shoulder. “Take care of yourself.” Lilliana nodded and walked out of his grasp. For a brief moment, her eyes caught Kagome's, but then she lifted the closest window open and jumped out, disappearing into the darkness.

 

As soon as she was gone, Inuyasha told Kagome to get her things together. Not really having much in the first place, Kagome threw her coat on and gathered the few items she had with her before joining Inuyasha by the door. He paused a moment with his hand on the handle, surveying the room one more time.

 

“So we leave the place that Lilliana grew up.” He mumbled.

 

“You've never been here before?” Kagome asked.

 

“Once. Years ago.” Remembering that they had better things to do, Inuyasha led Kagome down the stairs to meet up with Natalia. When they arrived, said nightwalker surveyed Inuyasha and Kagome before asking to make sure they had gotten the message from Lilliana.

 

“She left already?” Natalia asked.

 

Inuyasha nodded. “How close?” He asked.

 

“They'd be here in a few hours. If our scent is everywhere, they'd have a hard time finding us, but going by air would not be a good idea. It would be better if we stayed on the ground.”

 

“It will be sunrise soon.” Inuyasha reminded her. “Do you think it's wise to travel during daylight?”

 

“They've predicted most of our moves so far. Doing things they wouldn't expect would be more toward our favor.” Natalia answered. “Besides, it's not like we can travel a greater distance with Kagome awake. Don't you agree?”

 

Inuyasha looked up toward the sky. “We'll go with your plan, but come midday we are going by air.”

 

Natalia bowed her head. “Very well.”

 

Kagome looked from Natalia to Inuyasha. The moment their new destination was announced, Natalia had become stoic and serious. It was hard to see her that way and still imagine the sweet and smiling side of her but given the circumstances her current persona would be appropriate. There was also the fact that their goal was Natalia's badland. Perhaps this was her way of preparing for it. When Lilliana returned to her badland, she didn't speak for days. Would Natalia be the same?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was quite the sight, traveling with two nightwalkers by day. A part of Kagome was excited to see them in daylight, but she should have known they would stick to the shadows. Kagome didn't know how they could do it, but they often disappeared and reappeared beside her in a shady spot. What was even more surprising was that the people didn't seem to pay them the slightest attention.

 

They hadn't stopped to rest once, traveling with Kagome's pace, telling her where to go should they reach an area without darkness. Her growing fatigue, due to a half night's sleep, didn't bother Kagome as much as she thought it would. The thought that they hadn't encountered enemy nightwalkers gave her immense relief.

 

Midday came faster then she expected. Oddly, Kagome felt dizzy. Either it was the fact that she hadn't eaten all day, or that she hadn't gotten enough rest, but her eyes closed and when she had reawakened, it was already night. Her surroundings were no longer the familiar bronze city she had been in for the past three months. Instead, images whirled past her and all Kagome could see for a while was black.

 

“Nat. We need to stop.”

 

Suddenly the whirling sights came to an end and everything held still. Kagome felt her brain wake up fully before she was put on her feet. Wobbling a little, Kagome stabilized herself, taking in her new environment. Moonlight made the snow covering the ground glow. Naked trees surrounded them in all directions.

 

Now that she was free of a nightwalker's warmth, Kagome shivered a bit. City or no city, it was still winter and cold. Something dropped on her shoulders. Looking behind her, Kagome saw Inuyasha walk away without his coat. As she pulled the extra covering closed, Kagome gave Inuyasha a look.

 

“Will this make you attack me again?” She asked with a brow raised.

 

He looked at her from the cover of his eye but didn't say anything. Instead, he sat down in the snow. Hoping they weren't alone, Kagome searched her surroundings for Natalia and found her sitting at the base of a tree. “Aren't you cold?” Kagome asked her, noticing that she wore no jacket.

 

Natalia looked up at her with a smile. “You know how warm we are. I like the cold.” She said.

 

“It's the summer we can't stand.” Inuyasha huffed from his place.

 

“It's even harder without a mate.” Natalia laughed. Inuyasha clicked his teeth. “Are you trying to say something?”

 

“Nothing at all but you know I'm right.” Natalia smirked.

 

“Am I missing something?” Kagome wrinkled her nose.

 

“Never mind that.” Inuyasha answered. “You should relax for a while. We still have a long way to go, and this might be the last time you are conscious during the trip.”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “And just what am I supposed to do here?” Wind pressed against her back and she pulled Inuyasha's coat tighter around herself. “Shouldn't we keep going? Aren't they hot on our trail?”

 

Natalia stood. “If you're that worried, I can survey the area. I doubt we'd be followed after coming such a great distance, but overconfidence can lead to pain.” Before Kagome could protest, she was gone, leaving her with Inuyasha. Not that she was threatened by him, just that the last time he leant her his coat, things turned a little…compromising.

 

Hating the silence, Kagome asked, “How long till we get there?”

 

“Half a night. We'll be there by tomorrow morning.”

 

“Already?”

 

“We're not called nightwalkers for nothing.”

 

Kagome bit her lip. “What did Natalia mean about the summer?”

 

Inuyasha blinked at her. For some reason his stare felt more like a glare to her. “We don't like heat. Since our bodies are so warm, the summer is a really annoying season for us.”

 

“What does heat do?”

 

“Normally nothing.” Inuyasha leaned his elbow on his knee.

 

“What does it do under other circumstances?” Kagome pressed, intrigued.

 

Inuyasha sighed. “Not answering.”

 

Kagome scowled. “Still the same discriminating jackass.” She said under her breath.

 

“Still the same insulting bitch.” Inuyasha countered.

 

Her anger surfacing, Kagome was about to retort when she was interrupted yet again by the reappearance of another nightwalker. “I'd hate to interrupt your lover's quarrel.” Natalia said. Inuyasha glared at her while getting to his feet. “I need your senses, Inuyasha. I'm getting really weird vibes from the area, and I could use your stronger nose.”

 

“Anywhere special you want me to check?” He asked.

 

“Could you go around? I'm smelling a dead animal, but I can't figure out where it's coming from.” Natalia crossed her arms.

 

Inuyasha leaned his head back and took a long intake of breath. “I smell it too. I'll be back.” Before Kagome could blink, he was gone.

 

Nervous, she looked at Natalia. “Is it anything dangerous?”

 

The nightwalker shook her head, confusion and annoyance written on her face. “Not knowing what it is makes it dangerous.” She said, shaking her head. “Come, we should move away from here.” She walked out of their small clearing, beckoning for Kagome to follow.

 

“What about Inuyasha?” Kagome protested.

 

“He won't have trouble finding us.”

 

Kagome cringed. “If you say that, I feel like anyone could find us.”

 

Natalia stopped in her walk, turning to face Kagome. “Don't worry.” She reassured her. “You have me here. If anything happens, I'll protect you.”

 

Even with her promise, Kagome still felt a little uneasy. Little did she know that it was for good reason. Once she had followed Natalia deeper into the thick-barked trees of the forest, Kagome wandered to calm her raging nerves…and came face to face with what had caused the bad “smell” Natalia had spoken of.

 

Kagome's mouth hung open and no sound came out. Immediately her heartbeat jumped and she shook all over. Everything that she had been suppressing for the past few months caught up with her as she looked at the object. A body that was so broken and debilitated that even its sex couldn't be identified. Blood stained the snow underneath it, black and shining like oil. The victim was sprawled on the ground, an arm and leg bent the wrong way the elbow and knee. It's middle was completely gutted out and hollow. Kagome felt her teeth shaking.

 

She saw the empty hollow of the person's ripped belly; all that remained was the end of an intestine, hanging over the side of the victim's hip like a rope. Ever traumatizing experience flashed through Kagome's eyes: the night Rika was attacked, the night that demon woman lured her as bait into the dark street corner, Narek attacking her in Tokyo, Narek standing in a bloody room with a human heart in his hand, and almost being strangled to death in the nightwalker village. It was all so vivid, attacking her mind, numbing down her sanity.

 

Kagome didn't know where the sudden scream came from, but she was trembling as she fell to her knees, holding her head between her head. She'd been fighting and fighting it, telling herself that she wasn't afraid of them, but the sad truth was that Kagome wasn't immune to it. She was only human; there was so much she could take!

 

“What the hell is going on?” Demanded a voice she didn't know and barely heard.

 

“I don't know, she just started screaming. I think she's finally lost it.”

 

“Move that!” The voice ordered.

 

Something touched her shoulder. Flinching, Kagome recoiled, putting a considerable space between her and the nightwalker that had pulled her into this. He starred at her with shock in his eyes, but all Kagome could feel toward him was fear.

 

“Kagome?” Inuyasha took a step toward her.

 

Kagome felt terror rip up her spine like an electric shock. “Stay away!” He frowned. Before Kagome could blink he had broken the gap between them and grabbed hold of her wrist. “Let go!” She tried struggling, but her hectic mind kept her from inflicting damage on his person. He pulled her to him and forced her down, holding her pounding head to her chest.

 

“Nat, could you leave for a moment?” Kagome didn't see or feel any other presence vanish. Her consciousness was unable of rational thought and she still quivered from head to toe.

 

“Relax Kagome.” He said from above her. “There's nothing here that's going to hurt you.” He continued to coo and sooth her until Kagome stopped gasping. Incapable of voicing her thoughts, Kagome just nodded, letting his warmth clear the typhoon in her head. She felt her heart rate slow again, fisting his shirt and noticing their seated position on the snowy floor. Eventually, her ears stopped buzzing and she could hear Inuyasha's steady heart rate again.

 

“That…” Her voice broke. “It was horrible. Did a nightwalker do that?”

 

“Most likely.” Inuyasha answered grimly.

 

Kagome pushed the returning panic aside. She'd already mortified herself to a maximum degree; she needed any dignity she had left. “Do,” she fought against the bile in her throat, “do nightwalkers eat people?”

 

Inuyasha didn't answer right away. “Some do. All nightwalkers can eat meat, but some, especially those under the nightwalker king, ignore the rules and eat humans.”

 

Kagome bit her lip. “Have you ever…” She trailed off.

 

“For the record, I've never killed a human. I have no plans to start in the future.” He breathed in. Kagome felt his chest rise as fall as she listened to the air move in and out of his lungs. “Do you feel better?” He asked.

 

Kagome sighed. “I don't know.”

 

“What made you freak out?”

 

The words rolled out of her mouth. Having been with the family for almost four months in total, Kagome had no one to talk to, so when the chance came to open up, she did it without second thought. She told him how she couldn't take it any longer. The moment she looked at the body, Kagome almost imagined herself lying there. Worried if it were to be her fate in the future, fearful that all the passed things she'd seen would repeat. She wanted this war to end. She never wished to see something so terrible again.

 

“How do you stand it?” Kagome gulped. “How can you go out and fight knowing that might happen to you?”

 

Inuyasha put his chin on her head. “You get used to it after a while. It's not like I'm impervious to every kind of gore I see, but after fighting against it for so long, you become desensitized.”

 

“How long has the war been going on?”

 

“Two centuries. We were so close ten years ago.” He growled.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Someone who's a part of the reason you were so frightened today got in out way.”

 

Kagome didn't have to guess who it was. “Inuyasha, can I stand?”

 

She felt him nod and let his arms drop from her back, getting to his feet and helping her up. Kagome found that she was surprisingly steady after such a collapse. She looked up at Inuyasha to see him really look her in the eye for the first time since his return. “I'm sorry for that display. I must have looked so stupid.” Kagome looked down.

 

“I knew it would happen eventually, not to sound like I think you're weak, but you are only human.” He replied empathetically.

 

Kagome smiled nervously at him. “Never thought I would say this, but thanks.”

 

“You're welcome.” He said stiffly.

 

“Are you two finished?” Natalia came into the clearing. “How are you feeling Kagome?”

 

“A lot better, thanks.”

 

She crossed her arms. “Good, because we have a lot of ground to cover. May I remind you, that we are a bit crunched for time.”

 

“Always straight to the point.” Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. He beckoned for Kagome to climb onto his back, advising her it would be best to sleep so she could lessen the stress on her mental being. With everything in place, they began rushing through the night.

 

All lot of things changed after that night. One was that Kagome and Inuyasha became more open with each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me say something. A lot of books/movies/ anime, I've noticed don't really go onto the psyche. You can't really go through everything Kagome has and come out completely okay. People aren't meant for such devastating things; it does stuff to you. I wanted to show that Kagome does have weaknesses, and give Inuyasaha a chance to show his soft side. Not everyone is strong enough to keep things in all the time.

 

I have to say that the scene that Kagome finds the dead body was kind of hard to write. I didn't want to lengthen it too long and not have space for the dialogue at the end. Not to sound like I'm begging or making excuses, but I've been on a writer's block streak for a while. I had no idea how I was going to present this chapter, even though I knew what I wanted to happen. It's not just for Nightwalker. I've been working on the last chapter/chapters for Desert Rose and the ending is killing me! Bad Influences has been tough on me too. I have no idea where I'm going with them. Maybe it's the stress. I've been in college finals' week too long! I hate you philosophy! And I still have two more essays to write…damn!