InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Plea of a Fading Soul ❯ Cleansing The Fear ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Kagome seems a little better ever since Inuyasha shook some sense into her. But now that's all about to change when he goes for a bath - and finds her in the woods, alone. Crying.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Horror / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.03.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 314 | Status: Work In Progress

Chapter Two
Cleansing The Fear

“It's been two days…” Sango reminisced, looking up at the full moon in the sky. The night was dark, foreboding and murky. Storm clouds were rolling in from the west - revealing an unpromising evening ahead.
Sango sighed, and looked down at the river fish that were cooking slowly beside the fire, upright on sticks. The hunger inside her was nothing compared to the worry she felt.

Kagome had been fine for two days. Since Inuyasha had shaken some sense into her, she'd appeared to have gotten better. She hadn't seen this `Shadow Man' person of hers for a while. Not since that morning, at least.

Kagome raised her head in polite curiosity. “Two days since what, Sango?” she asked.
Inuyasha and Miroku, from their places beside the fire, shot warning glances at Sango. The fire separating the males from Sango and Kagome only heightened the expression on the boys' faces. They looked… very ferocious.
Sango gaped for a moment, and then shut her mouth. She smiled innocently at Kagome and then looked down into her lap, pushing a few strands of hair back behind her ear.

“N-Nothing, Kagome-chan,” Kagome narrowed her eyes. It was obviously something about her - the others were intent on keeping things from her now. She felt secluded in her own world, outcast in theirs. Wringing one of her wrists in boredom, she looked away from the campfire. Shippo was poking the alighted logs beneath the flames with a stick, giggling.
“Not long now! I can't wait!” he chirped, licking his lips as he watched the fish cook. Inuyasha sniffed in reply and his eyes wandered over to where Kagome sat.

She seemed her normal self, if not a little withdrawn. He looked bitterly back into the fire, watching the flames lap at the air. He frowned. Miroku saw his expression. He too picked up a stick and poked at the fire, but, unlike Shippo's childish curiosity, he was turning things over in his mind. Finally, he itched the back of his neck and glanced at Inuyasha briefly.

He nudged the silver-haired hanyou on his left, then out of the side of his mouth, he whispered: “Cheer her up,” Inuyasha kept looking into the fire without acknowledging the monk. His eyes were dark and Shippo could sense that Inuyasha was upset. The Kitsune turned and blinked up at the half-demon.
“Inuyasha, are you okay?” he said, jabbing Inuyasha timidly. Kagome looked over, her expression blank. Inuyasha waved a hand, absently, in reply and then abruptly stood up. “I'm going for a bath.”

Shippo opened his mouth, and then turned to look at Sango. He circuited the fire and crawled into her lap. “What did I say?” he asked quietly. Sango shook her head as if humouring him.
Inuyasha stormed off, stomping past Kagome angrily.
Kagome looked up at him and then, without hesitation, stood up too. “I'll come,” she said softly, before chasing after him.

Miroku raised his eyebrows at Sango over the fire, yet said nothing. Kirara mewed and pawed the fish hungrily, her tails twitching in anticipation.
Sango sighed and patted Shippo on the head. “Oh well. More eats for us,” she smiled. Shippo turned to look at the fish and giggled in agreement, rubbing his hands together.

Miroku grimaced. “Right,” he agreed. But he still looked up at the edge of the clearing, watching where Inuyasha and Kagome had disappeared. The trees around them groaned in the wind, but the fire held out. This part of the forest was the oldest, and everything around was skeletal and dying. Some trees didn't have any leaves, and bore down on the temporary camp with an almost angry glare.

Miroku shifted uncomfortably. He wondered whether Kagome really was getting better, or whether it was just the quiet before the storm.

Inuyasha stopped, fully aware that Kagome was following him. He didn't care - he wanted her company. As soon as he'd passed her, he'd felt her curiosity. He didn't normally go off to bathe alone. Kagome thought it odd, they all did.

“Inuyasha? Have you found the hot spring?” Kagome called, catching up to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder, panting. Inuyasha nodded once, and then turned to look at her. “Are you getting in first?” he asked in a monotone voice. Kagome shook her head. “No, I don't need to go in. Sango and I bathed this morning while you boys were asleep.”
Inuyasha nodded again, turning to stare at the hot spring ahead. It looked nice, with no leaves floating in it - the perfect oasis. Clean and undisturbed.

Inuyasha sighed and turned to look at Kagome. “Stay here,” he told her, catching one of her wrists. “Look after Tessaiga for me,”
Kagome smiled limply. “Sure,”
Inuyasha took his sword, scabbard and all, from his hip and handed it to her. Kagome gripped it close to her chest and grimaced.

“Have a nice bath,” she waved him off and went to sit behind a formation of rocks a few feet away.
Inuyasha watched her go, unmoving. Part of him had wanted her to bathe with him, but the other part snapped back furiously that that was insane.

Grunting, he went over to the waters edge and took off his clothes, looking around first. Not that he thought Kagome would be looking or anything… not that he hoped she would…
Inuyasha slipped into the water, then gasped. It was hot!

The water went up to his shoulders, submerging most of his hair. He tilted his head back to soak his hair, and then dived under - thankful for the chance to escape. Re-emerging he took a deep breath.

The temperature of the water wouldn't normally affect him, but he could feel his skin tingling. Groaning, he knew he had to get out soon or he'd collapse with the heat. He was already feeling dizzy and light-headed.

He waded to the bank, and then clambered out - feeling shaky. He didn't like not being able to control his body. As he put on his clothes, his hands trembled with the biting cold that struck him as soon as his bare body was opened to the elements.

He gritted his teeth and pulled on his white kimono, not bothering to look around first. He didn't care, by now, if anyone was watching - he needed to lie down. His hair was drenched. It slapped at his shoulders as he turned one arm into his haori and then slapped again when he looked the other way.

When he'd finished dressing, he turned. “Kagome? Kagome, I'm decent, you can come out now!”
When he got no reply, he raised an eyebrow. He shook out his wet mane of hair and blew upwards at an attempt to dry his fringe.

He made his way over to the large boulder Kagome was sitting behind. “Kagome?” he called, feeling as if he were calling out to a dark room `is anyone there?'
He turned around the boulder.
Kagome wasn't there. Neither was Tessaiga.

Panic overwhelmed Inuyasha. Arguments flew up in his mind for a rational explanation. Okay at least if she ran off, she still had sense enough to keep Tessaiga with her… one part of his mind reasoned. The other part screamed, why the hell wouldshe run off?
Confusion was eating its way up inside of Inuyasha. He frowned.
“Kagome!”

No answer. “I don't like this…” he said under his breath, looking around. He knew, deep down inside, that Kagome was going to be in a state when he found her. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. Maybe she's seen him again, Inuyasha thought. That shadow-guy she's afraid of… He filtered the air for her scent, and then followed it - slightly afraid. Kagome, you idiot, how can you do this? Why now? Don't you realise people worry about you? He stopped suddenly, upon hearing a noise. Crying.

Kagome's trail had led him deeper into the woods, a route that didn't lead back to camp. Inuyasha frowned in concentration. It was Kagome's voice. He'd never heard her cry like that before. It was like she was moaning - screaming. Someone was hurting her…
“KAGOME!”

Inuyasha ran in the direction of the sobs, trying to get to her. If somebody's hurt her, if somebody is hurting her, they're gonna pay… He stopped abruptly at the edge of a clearing. There, her face pressed into a tree trunk, was Kagome - sobbing her heart out. She looked as if she were gripping onto something, her hands grasping something Inuyasha couldn't see.
They were hovering by the tree, seemingly touching something real, yet invisible.

She started shaking whatever she was holding. “Wake up!” she sobbed. “Please, please, wake up!”
“Kagome?” Inuyasha stepped forward. She didn't turn to look at him. She buried her face deeper into the nook in the tree trunk, whining. She was getting scratches all over her face, cuts on her cheeks. “Please, Inuyasha, please wake up…” she choked out, tears trickling down her cheeks.

Inuyasha froze. He felt as if he were in a dream, that this couldn't possibly be real. I'm hallucinating… That water, it did something to me… But it was real. Either he was insane, or Kagome was.
“Please…” she whispered, her voice distorted with emotion. “Please, wake up…”
Inuyasha was behind her now. He didn't know what to do. He laid a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back slightly.

“No! No, leave me alone!” Kagome screamed in refusal, not looking at him.
“Kagome, it's all right! It's me, I'm here,” Inuyasha said softly, turning her gently so she would look at him.
Kagome shook her head fervently, tears streaming down her face.

“No… No, you took him away from me!” she screamed, pounding her hands against his chest angrily. “You stole him away from me!” She looked up into his eyes then, her face so full of fury and grief that Inuyasha stepped backwards in fear.

“Kagome…”
“You stole away the only person I've ever loved! I'm not afraid of you! There's nothing you can possibly do now that can-”
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's hands on impulse. “Look at me!” he screamed. “Who am I, Kagome? Look at me and tell me who I am!”

Kagome tried to pull away. She was hissing at him now, distraught. “Let go of me!” she screeched, furious.
“Kagome, who am I? Who am I?” Inuyasha repeated, shaking her slightly. He didn't want a repeat of that day - so instead he increased the volume of his yells.

Kagome shook her head. “Leave me alone!” she gasped out.
“Kagome, it's me!” Inuyasha panted. “It's me, it's Inuyasha!”

“No…” Kagome whispered, drooping her head. She looked distant then. Vulnerable and sad. “No,” she said again. “Inuyasha's dead,”
Inuyasha stiffened, his eyes widening. Kagome had spoken so softly that he wasn't sure he'd heard her properly. But she'd sounded like she believed that, even though he was right there in front of her.

“Kagome, I'm right here,” he told her, brushing away her tears.
Kagome seemed to cave in on herself. “No, you're just the Shadow Man. You're trying to trick me. It's not going to work…”

“I'm not the Shadow Man, Kagome. I'm your friend. You can tell me anything, you know that…”

Kagome sniffed, her sobs beginning to cease. “Inuyasha's dead…”
“No, I'm not.” Inuyasha whispered, embracing her. He wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. “I'm right here.”

Kagome dug her head into his shoulder and sniffed. “Inuyasha?” she whimpered.
Inuyasha smiled slightly over her forehead. He rested his head on hers, drinking in her smell - hoping the moment would last. “Yes, Kagome. It's me,”

Kagome crumpled then like a broken butterfly. She fainted in Inuyasha's arms to the sound of her own tears falling.