InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Separation ❯ Purity ( Chapter 11 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: King Baka 
Kagome must face a powerful foe by herself. Can she survive without Inuyasha there to save her?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.11.2008 | Updated On: 10.14.2013 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Kagome must face a powerful foe by herself. Can she survive without Inuyasha there to save her?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.11.2008 | Updated On: 10.14.2013 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.
Fanfiction of the Week: Love Potion # Kyu, by SplendentGoddess
I recommended another story by SplendentGoddess in chapter 5, and I guess what I’m really trying to say is that I recommend all her stories.
Purity
Kagome sighed, eyes drooping as she leaned her head on her hand. So…bored… The teacher was going on about something she probably should’ve been paying attention to, but she couldn’t bring herself to care at the moment. Her mind was in the past, and she wished her body was there as well. It had been a week since Daisuke had given her the bad news.
~~~
Daisuke stared into the murky blackness hovering at the bottom of the well for several long minutes. His finger worked on his chin, revealing that he was deep in thought. Eventually he reached into his shirt and pulled out a small bag with some kind of yellowish powder inside. He opened the bag and dropped the stuff into the well, watching as it started to glow halfway down and burst into flame a few feet from the bottom. Then he sighed deeply, and Kagome knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“I’m sorry, Kagome, but I’ve never seen a seal so powerful. This is beyond me.”
She was crushed, her spirit utterly deflated. All that work, all that nearly getting killed, all that hope. All of it was for naught; at least it seemed so in those few dismal moments. Then Kagome got a grip. This wasn’t the end; she had originally been planning on waiting for Inuyasha to come for her, anyway. Still, to say she was disappointed would have been the understatement of the year. In large part because she had no idea of knowing when or even if Inuyasha would return. She had already decided that she did not want him to spend his life vainly searching for a way through the well. She expected him to try, for a significant amount of time. But if his efforts proved futile, as hers had, she hoped he would move on.
Still, there was hope. The day of surrender had not yet arrived; not so long had passed since they had last argued on that fateful day. And Inuyasha was nothing if not stubborn.
~~~
“Higurashi!”
Kagome jumped, the teacher’s loud voice startling her back to the present.
“Y-yes, sensei?”
“Why don’t you tell me what I just said?”
“Uh…”
The teacher sighed. “I swear, Higurashi, you have been in school more recently, but I often feel like you are not really here.”
The man had a point, Kagome admitted reluctantly. She had been daydreaming a lot lately, wondering what her friends from the feudal era were doing and wishing she was with them.
“I’m sorry, sensei. I’ll try harder to pay attention.”
“I hope so, because we have a test next week.”
Kagome groaned and put her head in her hands. School had never been such a drag.
There she was indeed, trudging up the shrine steps, a yellow backpack on her shoulders. He had begun his search, logically, by surveying the local shrines in Tokyo. It had taken him several days, but Hijigoku had finally located the miko who had ruined everything. His company, his place in youkai society, his hard work; all had gone up in smoke because of her. Only quick thinking had saved him from the same fate as his subordinate, as less than ten minutes after his departure no less than a hundred G.O.Y. operatives raided Muramai International. He had watched from a nearby building as his carefully laid plans fell to pieces.
Killing Kagome and slaughtering her family would not reverse the flow of time and rebuild his shattered empire, but it would soothe his wounded pride. And perhaps more importantly, it would satisfy his lust for vengeance. Then his much calmer mind could turn to the tasks which needed to be done. He would rebuild, become powerful again, make the youkai underworld his instrument. And when the time was right, he would reveal himself and alter the very fabric of this world.
Turning his back on his quarry, he settled down to wait for the cover of darkness. As much as he wanted to satiate his bloodlust now, it would not do to draw unwanted attention. He had waited decades for schemes and allies to come together before; he could wait a few more hours to kill a young girl. And then, as Higurashi Kagome witnessed the brutal massacre of everyone she held dear, she would finally learn the true cost of crossing the one known only as Hijigoku.
She knew she needed to get up and do her homework, but it was far easier to simply lie there and allow her thoughts to drift. Memories materialized in her consciousness, recollections of happier times, dangerous adventures, sweet moments, and even bitter hurt. All of it she contemplated with fading cognizance, drowsily slipping into slumber before she realized it.
Her last thought before falling asleep was of how badly she wished to return home.
She was considering whether or not to blow it off when an eerily familiar sensations sent a shiver down her spine. A malevolent youkai aura, seemingly powerful but some distance off, yet getting closer each passing moment.
Cursing the fact that her bow and arrows had been lost in the feudal era, she sprinted down the stairs. Perhaps there was a weapon in the storage shed she could use. By the time she emerged onto the shrine grounds, breathing heavily from physical exertion and fear, the aura was exponentially more intense. To normal humans, it was still a bright sunny day. But Kagome felt as though she were wearing a lead vest. Her anxiety was only increased by her recognition of the overwhelming youkai aura. She did not know how Hijigoku had found them, but he was not here to talk. He was here for blood.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she focused her senses. Hearing attuned to the softest movement, spiritual energy sensitized to detect the smallest change in her surroundings, she waited. The aura maintained its constant pressure, as if its owner was waiting for an opportunity. He had learned to his detriment how dangerous she could be even without a weapon, and was apparently unwilling to approach since she had sensed him coming. It was a deadly game of chicken, the only question being which combatant would break first.
“Kagome?”
In that split-second of distraction, everything changed. Kagome could not help but react to her mother’s voice, concerned over her unexplained rush from the house. With the margin for error so low, even that tiny wavering of her concentration should have cost Kagome her life. But it appeared that her enemy had other plans.
The next time Kagome was aware of her surroundings, she found herself slumped against Goshinboku, a dull throbbing in her temple matched only by the swirling of her vision. Hijigoku had cornered her family against the side of the house. Jii-chan was putting up a brave front, flinging talisman after talisman, but the useless slips of paper were bursting into blame before they even touched the youkai’s body. Hijigoku glanced over his shoulder and, upon seeing her more or less lucid, twisted his lips in a smile that set Kagome’s insides to churning. Then he drew his sword.
She knew what was to come next. This sadist would not be content with merely killing her, the one who had wronged him. Instead he would slaughter her whole family before her eyes, and only when she had witnessed their deaths and drowned in guilt and misery would he mercifully end her life.
Kagome tried to rise, but dizziness overtook her and she slumped once again onto her backside. In a few seconds, the cobwebs would clear and she would be able to get up and run to protect her family. But in a few seconds, it would be far, far too late.
A profound feeling of helplessness enveloped her. Was there truly nothing she could do? Had she in her folly doomed her family to a horrible death? Tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, she stretched out her hands, desperately praying for something she could do even as the dreaded sword descended towards her grandfather’s wide-eyed face.
A great explosion rocked the shrine grounds, a blinding flash of light temporarily obscuring all vision. But she could hear Hijigoku’s agonized shriek, even as the youkai flew gracelessly through the air, barely managing to right himself and land on two feet some distance away. He sank into a crouch, acrid smoke rising from his back and blood dripping onto the ground below. Glancing back toward her family, Kagome saw the remnants of the barrier which had protected them dissolve. She did not question how such a thing had been possible—there would be time enough for that later, if they survived. She had always fought most fiercely, learned new abilities and found new strengths within herself, when those she loved were in peril. Her grandfather stared at his hands with a dumbfounded expression, but Kagome could still feel the vestiges of power emanating from her own fingertips. Hijigoku obviously reached the same conclusion.
He snarled, his wrath now too terrible for words. He checked the charred and blackened sword, running his fingers over it and testing its strength. Evidently he thought it was still up to the task, but he refrained from any further attacks, eyeing her carefully. Kagome was glad for that, but knew better than to hope for the battle to be over. The enemy was considering his next plan of attack, as she must also. Unfortunately her options were limited as long as she remained unarmed; she could not harm Hijigoku unless he came very close to her. She needed a weapon, but there was no way her enemy was going to allow her to waltz over to the shed and select one.
Perhaps there was something lying on the shrine grounds itself. Even a long stick she could charge with miko energy would be better than nothing. She glanced around quickly, always watching Hijigoku out of the corner of her eye. There was a flurry of motion, and by the time she turned fully back to face him something had already whizzed by her head within centimeters of her right ear. A throwing knife, she guessed, though she was not about to attempt to verify that hypothesis. Hijigoku appeared shocked that he had missed, a fortunate event that Kagome guessed was the result of the damage her barrier had done to his body. But it was the second time that a distraction had nearly cost her life. There would not be a third. She would finish Hijigoku with her bare hands, or die trying.
He came on suddenly, his sword trailing an angry torrent of flame. She raised her hands, questing for that same desperation within herself which had raised a barrier the first two times. The sword was repulsed less than half a meter from her head, orange and crimson blazing across the surface. With a bestial shout, Hijigoku raised the sword and struck again and again. Time after time, with his eyes turning an even deeper, more feral shade of red, all trace of reason and restraint vanishing completely. Each impact knocked the wind from her lungs, set her very bones to shudder. The fourth dropped her to a knee, the seventh to a low crouch with her backside resting on her heel. She heard a sharp sound, which was probably Hijigoku’s sword cracking but could also have been one of her bones snapping like a twig. Between the roaring in her ears and the pain wracking her entire body with jarring blow after blow, there was no way to know for sure.
So she crouched there, curled practically into a ball, eyes tightly shut against the ferocity of the fiery conflagration blazing over the exterior of the barrier. Some of the heat started to bleed through, raising the temperature inside to sweltering and lightly burning her palms. But to lower her hands meant certain death, so she endured it. How many strikes had she survived so far? A dozen? A hundred? She had no idea; time was an irrelevant thing inside her self-made coffin. All she knew was that she had to persist for as long as possible, for such was the only way her family would escape. The possibility that they were even now running down the shrine steps toward the street—and witnesses—was the only reason she was still alive. Her situation was utterly hopeless; her barrier would shatter long before Hijigoku’s sword did. In a handful more blows she would be spent, and this small eternity of torment would end. But not before she gave every last ounce of will to this cause, not before she had given those she loved the best possible chance to survive. If she did that, then she could go on to the afterlife in peace. There would of course be regrets, but at least the hanyou she loved would be proud of her.
“Kagome, catch!”
She somehow heard Souta’s shout; it was so faint, as if he was a great distance away, but his words were clear and she knew the perceived distance was only a product of her miserable situation. The fact that he was still so close caused despair to well up inside her, but she pushed it down. His words carried great import, she could tell by his tone, and though her mind was foggy she moved almost instinctually to comply with his demand.
With a great effort she poured additional energy into the barrier. When the next strike came, she thought she caught a surprised grunt from Hijigoku. She hoped it would knock him back a step and buy her an extra moment or two, but she was not sure whether it would work or not. It was purely a leap of faith, in the figurative sense. In reality, it was more of an awkward lunge to the side. There, flying through the air with her brother watching anxiously in the background, were an old antique bow and a single weathered arrow. How she managed to overcome her usual clumsiness and catch both items, the bow in her left hand and the arrow in her right, she would never know. That she somehow managed to bring both to bear, draw and fire without even the slightest fumble was nothing short of a miracle. She could not make a full draw in her prone position, but at such close range it did not matter. The arrow tore through the center of Hijigoku’s chest even as he brought down the sword for a final strike. A surge of purity stopped him dead, and Kagome caught one last glimpse of his wide, frightened eyes before he disintegrated in a flash defiant orange flame.
Kagome sat up gingerly, suppressing a grimace. Her entire body felt as though she had run a marathon, and then been used as a kendo practice dummy. She kept her eyes closed as she fought to catch her breath. But even so, she could not help but grin. It was over. Through skill and dumb luck, plus a little outside support, she had pulled out a most improbable victory. Inuyasha really would be proud.
She heard approaching footsteps but was unprepared when a small body suddenly slammed into her, nearly knocking her over. Souta’s small arms wrapped around her neck and he sniffled into her shoulder. She reciprocated the gesture, absently wondering when the last time they had embraced like this had been. Big kids did not like to be seen hugging their older sisters. But it was easy to forget how young he was; she had been much older during her first life or death experience. The incident with the Noh mask was nothing compared to this. He pulled back after about half a minute, wiping his teary eyes on his sleeve.
“Are you okay, Nee-chan?” he asked.
“Fine, thanks to you. But you should have run away. All of you,” she told him, looking to her mother and grandfather who were also still here. Her telepathic pleas had apparently not had any effect. But she understood; it would be difficult for anyone to flee when a loved one was in such peril, regardless of one’s ability or inability to help. She supposed she couldn’t be too upset with them.
Souta frowned at her words. “I’m not a coward,” he replied testily. “But that guy was. Attacking you with a sword when you didn’t even have a weapon. I thought, you know, that maybe you could use one. I couldn’t think of another way to help, and I couldn’t just watch you…you…”
Wishing to forestall further tears and alleviate the heavy atmosphere, Kagome decided a little playful teasing was in order. “Higurashi Souta,” she declared dramatically, “the bravest kid in all of Tokyo. My Hero-kun!”
Souta crossed his arms over his chest and went into a full-on pout. But she also noticed the way his lips couldn’t quite hold their downturn, or the pleased shine in his eyes. Secretly, the kid was loving this.
“Yeah, well…make sure you tell Inuyasha about it,” he said quietly so only she would hear.
Kagome laughed, all of the tension finally leaving her body. It was so adorable—Souta had just survived a terrifying experience, yet his greatest concern was what his idol would say about it.
“You can tell him yourself,” she told him. “Now, can you help me up? I’m not sure I can stand.”
She could, but just barely, and only by leaning heavily on her right leg. Her left knee had been badly bruised and scraped when it had smashed into the pavement under Hijigoku’s relentless assault. There were also burns on her hands, but they were no worse than sunburns. Overall, she felt incredibly lucky to be leaving the shrine grounds on her own two legs, rather than in an ambulance or a body bag. Souta helped support her as she made her way inside, and her mother had the first aid kit ready by the time she reached the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi was just taping the last side of the bandage into place when the doorbell rang. Everyone tensed, but Kagome stretched out her senses and relaxed immediately. It was just Daisuke. Her grandfather went to answer the door, more than a little suspicious at the strange timing of his friend’s arrival. Kagome, however, was not surprised. Every youkai within a five kilometer radius had probably sensed the battle taking place, and Daisuke was nothing if not well-informed.
It took Daisuke a few minutes to make it to the kitchen; he was detained in the hallway as he finally came clean to her grandfather about his youkai heritage. That was not the only ‘classified’ information revealed; Daisuke told the whole Higurashi family about the task he had asked Kagome to perform, and how dangerous it was. Finally, he apologized profusely for not assigning a protective detail to Kagome and her immediate family upon learning of Hijigoku’s escape. He had never expected the vengeful youkai to seek her out. He promised to assign one now, and to stay and guard them personally until it arrived. For this Kagome was grateful; even the effort of sensing him at the door had given her a headache. She was glad that she would not have to use any miko energy again until she recovered. In light of this, and the fact that she was still just happy to be alive, she decided to let Daisuke off the hook and not ream him out in front of her family. She had a feeling that her mother was conjuring up a few choice words, but she excused herself to take a bath so she never heard them. Her knee felt a little better, so she waved off any offers of assistance and made it up the stairs without too much trouble. But it wasn’t until she sank into the water that she realized how battered she truly was. Every ache and pain in her body sprang to life at once, then was slowly ebbed away by the soothing warmth of the water.
After a delicious dinner and a short conversation with Miu, who had volunteered to be part of their protective detail this evening, Kagome went straight to bed without setting her alarm. School tomorrow was definitely not happening.
A/N – This chapter was a lot of work. I completely rewrote the battle scene and took out some needless clutter. A much better chapter now, I feel.
Fanfiction of the Week: Love Potion # Kyu, by SplendentGoddess
I recommended another story by SplendentGoddess in chapter 5, and I guess what I’m really trying to say is that I recommend all her stories.
Purity
Kagome sighed, eyes drooping as she leaned her head on her hand. So…bored… The teacher was going on about something she probably should’ve been paying attention to, but she couldn’t bring herself to care at the moment. Her mind was in the past, and she wished her body was there as well. It had been a week since Daisuke had given her the bad news.
~~~
Daisuke stared into the murky blackness hovering at the bottom of the well for several long minutes. His finger worked on his chin, revealing that he was deep in thought. Eventually he reached into his shirt and pulled out a small bag with some kind of yellowish powder inside. He opened the bag and dropped the stuff into the well, watching as it started to glow halfway down and burst into flame a few feet from the bottom. Then he sighed deeply, and Kagome knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“I’m sorry, Kagome, but I’ve never seen a seal so powerful. This is beyond me.”
She was crushed, her spirit utterly deflated. All that work, all that nearly getting killed, all that hope. All of it was for naught; at least it seemed so in those few dismal moments. Then Kagome got a grip. This wasn’t the end; she had originally been planning on waiting for Inuyasha to come for her, anyway. Still, to say she was disappointed would have been the understatement of the year. In large part because she had no idea of knowing when or even if Inuyasha would return. She had already decided that she did not want him to spend his life vainly searching for a way through the well. She expected him to try, for a significant amount of time. But if his efforts proved futile, as hers had, she hoped he would move on.
Still, there was hope. The day of surrender had not yet arrived; not so long had passed since they had last argued on that fateful day. And Inuyasha was nothing if not stubborn.
~~~
“Higurashi!”
Kagome jumped, the teacher’s loud voice startling her back to the present.
“Y-yes, sensei?”
“Why don’t you tell me what I just said?”
“Uh…”
The teacher sighed. “I swear, Higurashi, you have been in school more recently, but I often feel like you are not really here.”
The man had a point, Kagome admitted reluctantly. She had been daydreaming a lot lately, wondering what her friends from the feudal era were doing and wishing she was with them.
“I’m sorry, sensei. I’ll try harder to pay attention.”
“I hope so, because we have a test next week.”
Kagome groaned and put her head in her hands. School had never been such a drag.
* * *
The wind whipped across the rooftop of the tall building, deserted except for a lone figure. He was dressed in black clothing, highlighted with red slashes in a seemingly random pattern. His attire would remind any viewer of the samurai of long past, but this man was no samurai. Nor was he human, despite the fairly ordinary appearance produced by the thick ring around his right ring finger. His long dark hair was tied behind him, but otherwise shifted freely in the breeze. On his face he wore a telltale smirk, which slowly morphed into an ominous grin as a sinister chuckle vibrated in his throat. There you are, you little bitch...There she was indeed, trudging up the shrine steps, a yellow backpack on her shoulders. He had begun his search, logically, by surveying the local shrines in Tokyo. It had taken him several days, but Hijigoku had finally located the miko who had ruined everything. His company, his place in youkai society, his hard work; all had gone up in smoke because of her. Only quick thinking had saved him from the same fate as his subordinate, as less than ten minutes after his departure no less than a hundred G.O.Y. operatives raided Muramai International. He had watched from a nearby building as his carefully laid plans fell to pieces.
Killing Kagome and slaughtering her family would not reverse the flow of time and rebuild his shattered empire, but it would soothe his wounded pride. And perhaps more importantly, it would satisfy his lust for vengeance. Then his much calmer mind could turn to the tasks which needed to be done. He would rebuild, become powerful again, make the youkai underworld his instrument. And when the time was right, he would reveal himself and alter the very fabric of this world.
Turning his back on his quarry, he settled down to wait for the cover of darkness. As much as he wanted to satiate his bloodlust now, it would not do to draw unwanted attention. He had waited decades for schemes and allies to come together before; he could wait a few more hours to kill a young girl. And then, as Higurashi Kagome witnessed the brutal massacre of everyone she held dear, she would finally learn the true cost of crossing the one known only as Hijigoku.
* * *
Kagome collapsed on the bed, her exhaustion more mental than physical. If she knew one thing, it was that school was getting old fast. And it wasn’t just the tests, lectures, or mind-numbing boredom. Her friends were nice, but she sensed that they had grown apart from each other. How could it not be so? Her teacher was right; she was not really here. Her head, and more importantly her heart, just weren’t in it. She knew she needed to get up and do her homework, but it was far easier to simply lie there and allow her thoughts to drift. Memories materialized in her consciousness, recollections of happier times, dangerous adventures, sweet moments, and even bitter hurt. All of it she contemplated with fading cognizance, drowsily slipping into slumber before she realized it.
Her last thought before falling asleep was of how badly she wished to return home.
* * *
Kagome woke with a start. She wanted to be upset with herself for wasting valuable homework time, but couldn’t bring herself to regret her few hours of peace. She smiled thinking back on her wonderful dreams. If only her damn homework was not still waiting on the desk. She was considering whether or not to blow it off when an eerily familiar sensations sent a shiver down her spine. A malevolent youkai aura, seemingly powerful but some distance off, yet getting closer each passing moment.
Cursing the fact that her bow and arrows had been lost in the feudal era, she sprinted down the stairs. Perhaps there was a weapon in the storage shed she could use. By the time she emerged onto the shrine grounds, breathing heavily from physical exertion and fear, the aura was exponentially more intense. To normal humans, it was still a bright sunny day. But Kagome felt as though she were wearing a lead vest. Her anxiety was only increased by her recognition of the overwhelming youkai aura. She did not know how Hijigoku had found them, but he was not here to talk. He was here for blood.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she focused her senses. Hearing attuned to the softest movement, spiritual energy sensitized to detect the smallest change in her surroundings, she waited. The aura maintained its constant pressure, as if its owner was waiting for an opportunity. He had learned to his detriment how dangerous she could be even without a weapon, and was apparently unwilling to approach since she had sensed him coming. It was a deadly game of chicken, the only question being which combatant would break first.
“Kagome?”
In that split-second of distraction, everything changed. Kagome could not help but react to her mother’s voice, concerned over her unexplained rush from the house. With the margin for error so low, even that tiny wavering of her concentration should have cost Kagome her life. But it appeared that her enemy had other plans.
The next time Kagome was aware of her surroundings, she found herself slumped against Goshinboku, a dull throbbing in her temple matched only by the swirling of her vision. Hijigoku had cornered her family against the side of the house. Jii-chan was putting up a brave front, flinging talisman after talisman, but the useless slips of paper were bursting into blame before they even touched the youkai’s body. Hijigoku glanced over his shoulder and, upon seeing her more or less lucid, twisted his lips in a smile that set Kagome’s insides to churning. Then he drew his sword.
She knew what was to come next. This sadist would not be content with merely killing her, the one who had wronged him. Instead he would slaughter her whole family before her eyes, and only when she had witnessed their deaths and drowned in guilt and misery would he mercifully end her life.
Kagome tried to rise, but dizziness overtook her and she slumped once again onto her backside. In a few seconds, the cobwebs would clear and she would be able to get up and run to protect her family. But in a few seconds, it would be far, far too late.
A profound feeling of helplessness enveloped her. Was there truly nothing she could do? Had she in her folly doomed her family to a horrible death? Tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, she stretched out her hands, desperately praying for something she could do even as the dreaded sword descended towards her grandfather’s wide-eyed face.
A great explosion rocked the shrine grounds, a blinding flash of light temporarily obscuring all vision. But she could hear Hijigoku’s agonized shriek, even as the youkai flew gracelessly through the air, barely managing to right himself and land on two feet some distance away. He sank into a crouch, acrid smoke rising from his back and blood dripping onto the ground below. Glancing back toward her family, Kagome saw the remnants of the barrier which had protected them dissolve. She did not question how such a thing had been possible—there would be time enough for that later, if they survived. She had always fought most fiercely, learned new abilities and found new strengths within herself, when those she loved were in peril. Her grandfather stared at his hands with a dumbfounded expression, but Kagome could still feel the vestiges of power emanating from her own fingertips. Hijigoku obviously reached the same conclusion.
He snarled, his wrath now too terrible for words. He checked the charred and blackened sword, running his fingers over it and testing its strength. Evidently he thought it was still up to the task, but he refrained from any further attacks, eyeing her carefully. Kagome was glad for that, but knew better than to hope for the battle to be over. The enemy was considering his next plan of attack, as she must also. Unfortunately her options were limited as long as she remained unarmed; she could not harm Hijigoku unless he came very close to her. She needed a weapon, but there was no way her enemy was going to allow her to waltz over to the shed and select one.
Perhaps there was something lying on the shrine grounds itself. Even a long stick she could charge with miko energy would be better than nothing. She glanced around quickly, always watching Hijigoku out of the corner of her eye. There was a flurry of motion, and by the time she turned fully back to face him something had already whizzed by her head within centimeters of her right ear. A throwing knife, she guessed, though she was not about to attempt to verify that hypothesis. Hijigoku appeared shocked that he had missed, a fortunate event that Kagome guessed was the result of the damage her barrier had done to his body. But it was the second time that a distraction had nearly cost her life. There would not be a third. She would finish Hijigoku with her bare hands, or die trying.
He came on suddenly, his sword trailing an angry torrent of flame. She raised her hands, questing for that same desperation within herself which had raised a barrier the first two times. The sword was repulsed less than half a meter from her head, orange and crimson blazing across the surface. With a bestial shout, Hijigoku raised the sword and struck again and again. Time after time, with his eyes turning an even deeper, more feral shade of red, all trace of reason and restraint vanishing completely. Each impact knocked the wind from her lungs, set her very bones to shudder. The fourth dropped her to a knee, the seventh to a low crouch with her backside resting on her heel. She heard a sharp sound, which was probably Hijigoku’s sword cracking but could also have been one of her bones snapping like a twig. Between the roaring in her ears and the pain wracking her entire body with jarring blow after blow, there was no way to know for sure.
So she crouched there, curled practically into a ball, eyes tightly shut against the ferocity of the fiery conflagration blazing over the exterior of the barrier. Some of the heat started to bleed through, raising the temperature inside to sweltering and lightly burning her palms. But to lower her hands meant certain death, so she endured it. How many strikes had she survived so far? A dozen? A hundred? She had no idea; time was an irrelevant thing inside her self-made coffin. All she knew was that she had to persist for as long as possible, for such was the only way her family would escape. The possibility that they were even now running down the shrine steps toward the street—and witnesses—was the only reason she was still alive. Her situation was utterly hopeless; her barrier would shatter long before Hijigoku’s sword did. In a handful more blows she would be spent, and this small eternity of torment would end. But not before she gave every last ounce of will to this cause, not before she had given those she loved the best possible chance to survive. If she did that, then she could go on to the afterlife in peace. There would of course be regrets, but at least the hanyou she loved would be proud of her.
“Kagome, catch!”
She somehow heard Souta’s shout; it was so faint, as if he was a great distance away, but his words were clear and she knew the perceived distance was only a product of her miserable situation. The fact that he was still so close caused despair to well up inside her, but she pushed it down. His words carried great import, she could tell by his tone, and though her mind was foggy she moved almost instinctually to comply with his demand.
With a great effort she poured additional energy into the barrier. When the next strike came, she thought she caught a surprised grunt from Hijigoku. She hoped it would knock him back a step and buy her an extra moment or two, but she was not sure whether it would work or not. It was purely a leap of faith, in the figurative sense. In reality, it was more of an awkward lunge to the side. There, flying through the air with her brother watching anxiously in the background, were an old antique bow and a single weathered arrow. How she managed to overcome her usual clumsiness and catch both items, the bow in her left hand and the arrow in her right, she would never know. That she somehow managed to bring both to bear, draw and fire without even the slightest fumble was nothing short of a miracle. She could not make a full draw in her prone position, but at such close range it did not matter. The arrow tore through the center of Hijigoku’s chest even as he brought down the sword for a final strike. A surge of purity stopped him dead, and Kagome caught one last glimpse of his wide, frightened eyes before he disintegrated in a flash defiant orange flame.
Kagome sat up gingerly, suppressing a grimace. Her entire body felt as though she had run a marathon, and then been used as a kendo practice dummy. She kept her eyes closed as she fought to catch her breath. But even so, she could not help but grin. It was over. Through skill and dumb luck, plus a little outside support, she had pulled out a most improbable victory. Inuyasha really would be proud.
She heard approaching footsteps but was unprepared when a small body suddenly slammed into her, nearly knocking her over. Souta’s small arms wrapped around her neck and he sniffled into her shoulder. She reciprocated the gesture, absently wondering when the last time they had embraced like this had been. Big kids did not like to be seen hugging their older sisters. But it was easy to forget how young he was; she had been much older during her first life or death experience. The incident with the Noh mask was nothing compared to this. He pulled back after about half a minute, wiping his teary eyes on his sleeve.
“Are you okay, Nee-chan?” he asked.
“Fine, thanks to you. But you should have run away. All of you,” she told him, looking to her mother and grandfather who were also still here. Her telepathic pleas had apparently not had any effect. But she understood; it would be difficult for anyone to flee when a loved one was in such peril, regardless of one’s ability or inability to help. She supposed she couldn’t be too upset with them.
Souta frowned at her words. “I’m not a coward,” he replied testily. “But that guy was. Attacking you with a sword when you didn’t even have a weapon. I thought, you know, that maybe you could use one. I couldn’t think of another way to help, and I couldn’t just watch you…you…”
Wishing to forestall further tears and alleviate the heavy atmosphere, Kagome decided a little playful teasing was in order. “Higurashi Souta,” she declared dramatically, “the bravest kid in all of Tokyo. My Hero-kun!”
Souta crossed his arms over his chest and went into a full-on pout. But she also noticed the way his lips couldn’t quite hold their downturn, or the pleased shine in his eyes. Secretly, the kid was loving this.
“Yeah, well…make sure you tell Inuyasha about it,” he said quietly so only she would hear.
Kagome laughed, all of the tension finally leaving her body. It was so adorable—Souta had just survived a terrifying experience, yet his greatest concern was what his idol would say about it.
“You can tell him yourself,” she told him. “Now, can you help me up? I’m not sure I can stand.”
She could, but just barely, and only by leaning heavily on her right leg. Her left knee had been badly bruised and scraped when it had smashed into the pavement under Hijigoku’s relentless assault. There were also burns on her hands, but they were no worse than sunburns. Overall, she felt incredibly lucky to be leaving the shrine grounds on her own two legs, rather than in an ambulance or a body bag. Souta helped support her as she made her way inside, and her mother had the first aid kit ready by the time she reached the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi was just taping the last side of the bandage into place when the doorbell rang. Everyone tensed, but Kagome stretched out her senses and relaxed immediately. It was just Daisuke. Her grandfather went to answer the door, more than a little suspicious at the strange timing of his friend’s arrival. Kagome, however, was not surprised. Every youkai within a five kilometer radius had probably sensed the battle taking place, and Daisuke was nothing if not well-informed.
It took Daisuke a few minutes to make it to the kitchen; he was detained in the hallway as he finally came clean to her grandfather about his youkai heritage. That was not the only ‘classified’ information revealed; Daisuke told the whole Higurashi family about the task he had asked Kagome to perform, and how dangerous it was. Finally, he apologized profusely for not assigning a protective detail to Kagome and her immediate family upon learning of Hijigoku’s escape. He had never expected the vengeful youkai to seek her out. He promised to assign one now, and to stay and guard them personally until it arrived. For this Kagome was grateful; even the effort of sensing him at the door had given her a headache. She was glad that she would not have to use any miko energy again until she recovered. In light of this, and the fact that she was still just happy to be alive, she decided to let Daisuke off the hook and not ream him out in front of her family. She had a feeling that her mother was conjuring up a few choice words, but she excused herself to take a bath so she never heard them. Her knee felt a little better, so she waved off any offers of assistance and made it up the stairs without too much trouble. But it wasn’t until she sank into the water that she realized how battered she truly was. Every ache and pain in her body sprang to life at once, then was slowly ebbed away by the soothing warmth of the water.
After a delicious dinner and a short conversation with Miu, who had volunteered to be part of their protective detail this evening, Kagome went straight to bed without setting her alarm. School tomorrow was definitely not happening.
A/N – This chapter was a lot of work. I completely rewrote the battle scene and took out some needless clutter. A much better chapter now, I feel.