InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Possession ❯ Soul Reaper ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the InuYasha characters, plot or manga.

Kagome flew through the well, back to her own world. She was too caught up in her misery, to be aware that the air around her was tinged a faint purplish red rather than the usual blue. She reached the other end and lifted herself out of the well. The house where the well was kept was dark. The last rays of the dying sun were slanting in through the cracks in the door. Kagome sat back on the well, her mind thinking and rethinking the kiss.

InuYasha was stupid. An ingrate. A moron. An imbecile. She thought up more adjectives to label the hurtful hanyou, but none of them helped ease the pain in her chest. Her heart was squeezing and dying from the thought of InuYasha with Kikyo while her pride was railing at her for being such a lovesick fool.

Kagome walked away from the well and went into the main house.

“I'm back,” she called out in dejected tones as she removed her shoes from her feet.

The echoing silence in the house was her only reply. She wondered where everyone was.

“Mom! Sota! Grandpa!” she yelled as she checked first the living room and then upstairs in the bedrooms and the bathroom. Still, there was no one there.

Her mom would sometimes go out for shopping or if she had some work to do. Sota was probably out hanging out with his friends, but she wondered where her grandpa was. Had they all gone out without leaving her a note? That could be the only reason, and she couldn't find fault with them because they hadn't expected back for another few days.

She sighed resignedly and walked into her bedroom. Night was fast approaching and she was sure they would be back soon. She fell upon her bed with a loud thump and stretched her arms over her head. She stared at the ceiling, her mind automatically going back to the kiss. She had known InuYasha was still in love with Kikyo, so where did she figure in his life? Was she nothing more than a friend to him? One who fought alongside him? Was she only a jewel detector to him?

She knew in her heart that he didn't think of her as any of those things. She knew she and InuYasha shared something, if not exactly love, it was still something. She had to mean more to him than just his friend. She had to!

She suddenly sniffed the air. An unpleasant smell was radiating from her body. She scrunched up her face, just as her stomach let out a loud grumble. She hadn't had anything to eat since lunch that day and she was starving. But first she had scrub that god-awful smell from her body.

She ran into the bathroom and turned on the tap for hot water. As the tub was filling up, she walked back into her room and took out some fresh clothes from her dresser. A slight breeze tickled the edges of her hair and she turned around. Her window was open. It was late autumn and the air was too chilly, so she closed the window before throwing her dress down on the bed. The tub was nearly filled by the time she got there and she peeled off her school uniform and threw it into the laundry basket. She stepped into the tub and laid back against the porcelain lip, sighing contentedly as the warm water rubbed against her aching flesh and bones. It felt so good to have a bath after being on the road for so long. Her muscles ached from all the travelling they had done these past few days and she was finally glad to get some time off.

She finished scrubbing herself from head to toe and satisfied that the earlier unpleasant smell was replaced by her beautiful rose scented soap smell, she got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself and walked back to her room. She sat down on her bed and with another small towel rubbed her hair dry. She felt a sudden breeze touch her bare shoulders and she stiffened. She looked towards her window. It was open again. She had been very sure she had closed that window before. She walked over to it and peered out. The temple was oddly quiet and a soft breeze was blowing through the trees, rustling up fallen leaves.

She closed the window, wondering how the window had opened itself. When she felt a movement behind her, she stilled, panic and fear making her immobile. A hand clamped around her mouth and another hand pressed against her waist, bringing her back against a hard chest. She felt the instinctive urge to struggle, but knew that any struggle would be futile. The arms that held her were like steel bands, hard and unmoving.

“I'm sorry, my love,” a hoarse male voice sounded very close to her ear. His lips moved over her lobe in a gentle kiss.

Kagome felt herself sigh in relief. It was only InuYasha, come to apologize to her just as he always did whenever he messed up.

But when she turned around, the golden-eyed hanyou staring back at her wasn't InuYasha.

**************************************************

The dark figure crouched deeper into the shadows, making Kagura feel disgusted just to be in its presence. It shivered violently as if it was taken over by a painful case of ague and Kagura couldn't help hating Naraku for putting her in charge of doing such menial tasks as these.

“I-I didn't mean to do i-it!” the crouched figure said to her, it voice croaky and trembling from a severe case of the nerves.

“I'm sure you didn't mean to. Come along,” Kagura commanded walking away from the room and into a dimly lit hallway. Why was she stuck babysitting such imbeciles?

“I-I had n-no choice, you see,” the man stuttered over his words as he followed her. His gait depicted that of an old man's and his face was wizened and wrinkled showing his age.

“Yes, yes,” Kagura nodded as if she understood why he had done what he had done. She was getting a headache from listening to this old man protest that he had had no choice and her patience was wearing thin. If Naraku didn't shut up this old man soon, she would do it herself.

She opened the large double doors and walked inside. The old man followed behind her on unsteady feet. He let out a whimper as he caught sight of Naraku sitting in a chair in the centre of the room. His face was dark and filled with fury, his eyes deepening to deep onyx from barely-suppressed rage.

The old man fell down in front of Naraku, his hands and knees scraping the ground as he cried out to Naraku to forgive him his betrayal this one last time.

“I can't stand whimpering fools. You know that, Onigumo,” Naraku said, his tone light and casual, as if he were discussing the weather. His tone did nothing to betray the rage he felt inside. Onigumo wouldn't have even thought Naraku was angry with him if it hadn't been for the rage in his eyes and the slight frown between his brows.

“I can stand betraying idiots even less. Kagura, chain him up!” Naraku commanded.

Swift bands of wind encircled him, chaining him in thick bands of air, and he was stretched up to his full height. His arms were held outstretched and he struggled to free himself from the unfeeling wind. It stung his skin wherever it touched him, and his skin felt raw and red under the assault. He stopped struggling and looked at Naraku. All signs of his earlier panic and fear were gone now. In fact he stood straighter now, his eyes raking over Naraku with a bravado that Kagura hadn't seen before. His age was no longer evident in his face and looking at him now Kagura was sure he couldn't have been more older than Naraku himself. He appeared young and vital again, his wrinkles and wizened appearance a façade to the real person inside. Her dark brows drew down in a frown as she wondered who this person was.

His long gray hair came forward to fall over one eye and he looked at Naraku through the other brown one. Hatred and anger were clearly written in his gaze.

Naraku came forward on flying feet and stood before Onigumo.

“What, whimper all gone?” Naraku taunted. “Or was it only for my benefit? To make me feel sorry for you?” Naraku laughed.

Onigumo lunged at him, struggling against the invisible bonds. They held him back like a vise and he howled from the frustration of coming up short of his prey.

“Calm down, Onigumo, or else we will never get to the real part of why I called you here.”

Naraku gestured to Kagura and Kagura came forward. She walked over to a red screen exactly opposite Onigumo. Onigumo watched her slow movements, distrust and wariness evident on his face.

His face changed to one of rage when he beheld the sight behind the screen. His Kikyo… his beloved Kikyo….

“What have you done to her?” he shouted at Naraku, never taking his eyes off of her.

Kikyo was floating inside a bubble of sorts. Her face was deathly pale and marked with scratches and bruises. Her hair floated down behind her and she was lying upon a bed of air, floating as if she were floating upon the surface of a serene lake. Her face had all the serenity she usually exuded and Onigumo remembered once more the kindness she had showed him.

In the end, unable to show her the love he had felt for her, he had rewarded her with this creature that now stood before him. Naraku was very much a part of Onigumo as much as Onigumo was a part of Naraku. Nothing could change. No matter what Naraku did to get rid of Onigumo, to extinguish the feelings he felt for Kikyo, they couldn't be extinguished.

“Nothing. I will do nothing,” Naraku promised him. ” As long as you do something for me.”

“Anything.”

Naraku smiled menancingly. He gestured to Kagura to close the curtain again, hiding Kikyo away from their sight.

“I want you to be my soul reaper.”

****************************************************

InuYasha hit his fist against the invisible barrier that had suddenly appeared over the opening in the well.

“Open up!” he screamed at the well, but it was of no use. He had used his wind scar and every other attack he knew, but still the well was closed off to him. He couldn't understand what had happened, what was going on. But he had to go behind her. He couldn't lose her. He… couldn't lose her…

He fell down upon the ground, and leaned his back against the well. He still held his tetusaiga in one hand, its blade pointing down to the ground. He leaned his head back and stared at the star-filled sky. They looked down upon him, their shiny faces mocking him for his stupidity. He did not know why Kikyo always did this to him, why he always felt as if he were hurting Kagome, but… she was hurting.. and he didn't know how to make it all right. He didn't know who to choose… Kikyo had always been his first love… but Kagome…

“InuYasha!” a bright pink balloon in the sky called out it. Just before it landed near his feet, it transformed in a puff of smoke into little Shippo. He held up a white paper. “Look, I advanced to number 13! Look! Look! InuYasha!”

But InuYasha was lost in his own world. With unseeing eyes, he looked at Shippo.

“Where's Kagome?”

“She's gone back to her own world.”

“Why?”

“I…”

“Don't tell me… Kikyo…”

“I have to go over there and explain!” he yelled at Shippo with renewed strength. “This stupid well! Stand back, Shippo!”

He tried the wind scar again, but it deflected off the surface and hit a tree to their right, causing Shippo to jump wildly away in panic.

“Just check where you aim that thing!” Shippo yelled at him.

“What is..” InuYasha leaned closer, peering down into the well opening. It was as if a barrier was protecting it. Faint dark red shapes were moving inside the well and InuYasha leaned very close and sniffed his nose. It couldn't be… it was Naraku's smell!

“InuYasha,” Shippo warned him in trembling tones. He pulled at InuYasha's robes with shivering hands.

“What is it, Shippo? Can't you see I'm busy here!”

“I-I-“ he started crawling up InuYasha's leg and InuYasha really irritated glared at the fox stuck to his leg.

Shippo merely pointed at something.

“Hello, InuYasha.” Naraku greeted him, smiling at him casually as if they were having tea together. Standing behind him were three hundred spirits and demons.