InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Silence the Fairytale ❯ Foreboding ( Chapter 41 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: White Luna 
Kagome and Inuyasha have a rough time on their travels, but finally make it to their destination
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama / Comedy / Romance / Angst / Fantasy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.09.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 2.6K | Status: Completed
Kagome and Inuyasha have a rough time on their travels, but finally make it to their destination
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama / Comedy / Romance / Angst / Fantasy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.09.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 2.6K | Status: Completed
A/m: Everyone made me SO HAPPY with all the reviews ^.^. I would never eveeeer withhold chapters from a lack of reviews ever, I'm not that much of a jerk. The timespan between chapters generally has more to do with life than anything else. So thanks to everyone soooo much. It made me so happy :).
Knittingknots: You always do :). <3. Thanks for your inspiration always.
Inuyashaloverr: ^//^ thanks.
ilonabb: Thanks lovely :)
Lunabell: I totally will. ^^
Lunagirl: It's okay! We Lunas stick together amirite? Don't worry, it won't kill my story. But it definitely encourages my muse :).
J Luc Pitard: Hehe I'm happy you're still enjoying the story. Honestly, I was worried to loose your interest. There will totally be action and honestly, I don't know how to go about making an interesting domestic tale e.e;. I don't think I have it in me. I was trying to keep some of the humor involved because I felt it had been so serious lately I wanted some funny :d.
SplendentGoddess: Maaaaybbbeeee. Cause I love Kirara. Honestly, I'm up in the air about Naraku. At chapter 40, to introduce him at this point would make the story drag onnn and onnn. o.o Don't you think? Thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot coming from a great writer like you :).
blackr0s3: I hope you did well, and have had a good time :D. It makes me happy you enjoy the story so much hunny.
unistar: <3<3.
Eris of Chaos: Will do ^^
Inuyashaloverlol: hehe try not to stay awake too long. You need some sleeps :v.
Silverfeather: :D<3!
Thank you to Knitting Knots for always Beta-ing and making sure my material isn't dry :).
Luna-
Concerned ears flicked at the sound of her sneeze, bringing her frm her thoughts as Inuyasha turned around to face her.
She had been sneezing a lot more often lately, and the last thing he needed her to do was to become ill. Without a second thought, he stripped off his outer haori, earning him a mild protest from Kagome. "Wait... it's cold..." she started, attempting to ward off his efforts by waving her hands.
He ignored her without a second thought, wrapping the garment around his cold wife and tying it shut to add to her an extra layer of warmth. "Keh, you really think I feel this shit?" he smirked at her, leaning down to capture her lips in a teasingly soft kiss. She melted under the considerate affections, pulling him ever closer and tangled her hands in his hair on instinct. He stroked unnaturally warm fingertips against the apples of her cheeks as he pulled away gently, lifting her up to carry her bridal-style in his arms.
She wouldn't complain about it though, she was nearing four months pregnant and already the exhaustion of the day got to her. She tired easily, trying to force herself to be strong-but the lack of food decreased her energy and she had no reserves to speak of. Inuyasha had gone to such lengths as to give up his own foodtake for the last three days, but she could tell it was beginning to wear on him as well. Still, he adamantly refused whatever food she offered to share, and Kagome felt her eye twitch at the thought of his unbearable 'hunter, provider' attitude.
The thought of him dragging her off to a cave by the hair to have his way with her was the image her mind conjured up and she snickered at the thought...
At least, that was until the reality of it settled on her and she was left slightly perturbed by the pun.
Wait. He does drag me off to a cave to have his way with me. Hell, we live in one. Oh my god, I'm a cave woman.
Another sneeze interrupted that train of logic and she sniffled miserably. A concerned gaze pierced her, coming from Inuyasha made her shift in his arms uncomfortably, looking away as if nothing was wrong. The burnished gold reflected he wasn't convinced, and his gazed hardened as he stared at the side of her head. Kagome swore if he stared long enough he might burn her with his leer.
"No, that's it. We're going home. I can't have you fucking sick if we're going to be fighting some youkai. No fucking way," Inuyasha stopped abruptly in his path, made a sudden about face which nearly sent Buyo faceplanting to the ground as a result of the sudden motion of it, and a mewl of protest came from underneath Inuyasha's hair.
That wasn't the only protest to come forth, either.
"NO! Inuyasha, we can't leave helpless people to die!" Kagome grabbed his forelock and pulled with all the might her little fist could muster, trying to get him to stop in his tracks and pay attention to her.
He was as an unfortunately as unmoveable as a mountain when his stubbornness kicked in, especially when it involved her well being, and it was just as grand. Scaling that would be hopeless considering her current condition.
Possibly sick and absolutely pregnant in below freezing temperatures with no food. Inuyasha 1, Kagome 0.
"No, you know what? I don't care! I don't. For all the shit they've dealt us, I'm not above saying fuck them and making you most important. Cause you know what? You are. I'm not dealing with this," the rigid set of his jaw spoke volumes about his opinion on the matter, and Kagome began to flail in his arms to fight the proclaimed tyranny of his decision. The tick in his jaw also increased in pace when she began to fight him.
"No, Inuyasha, no, no! I'm not more important, only we can do this, no!" she pleaded with him, struggling to fight her way out of his arms but he would have none of it. Instead, he clutched her closer to his chest, curling her into a psuedo ball to keep her from being able to maneuver easily. Kirara squirmed her way from the inside of her mistress's kimono, trying to escape being squished in the process.
Kagome finally stopped fighting after what seemed an eternity, much to Inuyasha's relief, but tears sprang forth to her eyes. She leaned against his chest limply, letting loose a miserable groan.
Fighting against his strength when his mind was set on something was akin to bashing her face into a tree. Nothing she did would make headway, and he refused to listen to her reasoning, and it only resulted in one massive migraine.
...So, she did the only thing a hormonal woman in a helpless situation could do.
She cried.
At first it was quiet, hiccuping sobs she tried to hide. Of course, it did no good, and Inuyasha's attempt to ignore it was a bad one at that. She felt his fingers tightening against her bicep and thigh, his claws piercing the rough fabric of her kimono in discomfort of her upset, which only made her more ashamed of making him upset as well, and her cries escalated.
The more she cried, the more uncomfortable he got, and he rocked her like an inconsolable child while cradled in his arms, making shushing noises and soft whines from the back of his throat. His efforts appeared to have the opposite affect, making her cries to the point of hysterics and Inuyasha fought to keep from making it worse but it seemed nothing he did was helping.
"Kagome, please.. please don't cry... I can't stand to see you upset... I just want you to be safe..." he ventured to reason with her as he stopped walking, setting her on her feet and steadying her with his hands on her shoulders. He leaned down a bit to peer into her eyes, trying to get her to understand his point of view and just how serious he was.
But her eyes were pinched tightly shut, her face and nose a bright red as she continued hiccupping and she shook her head.
She was sobbing too hard to answer him properly, and she was too ashamed to anyway. She knew he was only concerned about her safety, and she wasn't trying to make him feel bad about trying to be a good husband.
But she couldn't help but imagine those people, starving and helpless. Children, starving and being murdered.
She couldn't help but place herself in their shoes, to feel the pang of loss at the thought...
What if it was my child?
...Inuyasha did the only thing he could do for her... he held her to him, petting her hair to soothe her. It was a while before she calmed, burying her face into his chest as she sought strength in his arms. He offered it to her, though he was unsure why she had been as hysterical as she was. She attempted to pull herself together, to not let the images of massacred children get to her, but it was an earth shattering thought she could not cope with if she did not do something about it. Her conscience pinched, prodding her heart like a thousand needles and it stung. But she managed to do so, for the sake of talking to him about it all. She had to do this.
She had to.
And when Inuyasha finally deemed her calm enough to hold a conversation, he pulled away from her a bit. She was still sniffing, her face hidden beneath her choppy bangs. Sighing softly, he brushed them to the side and pressed two fingers under her chin to guide her to look at him gently. Her shining sky eyes were wide and afraid, and he drew in a quick breath at the sight. He knew it was more than just helping people... more to it than just being a good person.
"Kags... why does it upset you so much? What's bothering you about this? Why can't you let it go?"
Kagome placed both her hands on her slightly swollen stomach slowly, looking him square in the eye regardless of the tears that still shined in hers.
"Inuyasha... I can't have a clean conscience knowing I'm leaving children to suffer... especially now. Especially because of ours..." she reached one hand out to grab his wrist, to bring his hand to press against her abdomen. Kagome watched as his ears buried themselves in his hair, and his hard look held something dismal there as well. Kagome wanted to smooth away the lines of stress that held his face, the conflict that was so obvious in his eyes. But she knew... he couldn't leave helpless children to suffer, either. Not when it meant so much now.
So much more than it did now that we have our own...
"...all right. But if you get sick, you are not fighting. Are we clear?" Inuyasha's voice brooked no room for arguement, and she gave none.
All she could do was smile radiantly at him, and he lifted her back up into his arms. Turning around, they continued back on their way to the village. Still, it didn't keep him from complaining.
"I still think they're a bunch of assholes, though."
Kagome grinned, "I won't argue with that."
And they continued along in silence.
The lull of his footsteps was enough to send Kagome into slumber, the comfort of feeling protection in his arms proving too much. Inuyasha only smiled as he heard the smallest of snores emanate from the one being in the world that meant the most to him.
Kagome.
She sighed and nearly hung her head in defeat, feeling in this situation she just couldn't win. With Inuyasha, or her appetite.
"Keh, please woman. Youkai don't get sick, I'm made of tougher stuff than humans. Give me some credit," he told her half-heartedly, as he kept his concentration on the fish that flowed past him in the rapids. Kagome made a face at him, annoyed that he kept pointing out his superiority to regular people.
Like he has something to prove...
Rolling her eyes, she pointed out one flaw in his logic. "You're a hanyou, baka. Maybe you can get sick."
Inuyasha snorted incredulously at her, but remained silent. Kagome eyed the river, not able to see anything beneath the surface. She wondered how Inuyasha managed to, but he had already caught one good sized fish. She knew he had some sort of awareness she didn't possess, and she found herself vaguely jealous.
Then again, she already knew he had better senses. Still, it was always awe inspiring to see it in action as opposed to just having knowledge of the fact. It always stirred something deep inside her that took her breath away, watching him. Something beyond natural love, like something ancient that called to her.
The thing that makes him different. His youkai heritage...
Her musing was interrupted by one clawed that shot beneath the surface of the water suddenly, breaking it up in a giant splash that nearly hit Kagome. She managed to scramble out of the way just in the knick of time, tossing him a dirty look in the process."Watch it, baka!" she complained loudly, glaring at him as he just chuckled at her. "I told you to move out of the way a while ago, not my fault you didn't listen!"
He was smirking and Kagome just wanted to do something evil to him for it.
Like poke him in his adam's apple.
Or something.
Yep, she was sure that'd get his attention.
I'll have to remember to do it later.
She did notice, however, there was another fish flopping around helplessly about five feet from where she stood. Smiling, she began to reconsider.
Still, breakfast is pretty nice. I think I'll let it go just this once.
Being fed definitely outweighed her annoyance.
"Are you almost done?" she inquired, going over to retrieve the fish and move it away from the water so it couldn't escape. Inuyasha grunted at her above the noise of rushing water, shaking his head in the negative. "We both need at least two, then we need some for the cats unless we want them to starve. Still, Buyo's fat enough to probably survive the winter."
Kagome huffed silently, pulling open her kimono to peer down at the two cats that lay in there. They buldged her kimono out more than it was usually, and it gave her some idea what it would be like once she was much rounder than she was currently. And it definitely wasn't a feeling she much appreciated.
"Ok. Where are we gonna eat them? There's no place to put a fire," Kagome noted absently, looking at him in inquiry. Inuyasha merely shrugged at her, shaking his head.
"We'll probably have to eat them raw. Sorry Kag..." Again, his hand breeched the water and another hapless fish was sent flying through the air. Kagome watched it soar like a would-be bird and it landed not a foot from her. She blinked at it twice then turned her attention back to Inuyasha.
"All right... I guess, I'll just eat then. I'm hungry. Do you mind?" Kagome asked as she reached for an already dead one, not having the heart to kill the other two. Though she was sure it would be more merciful to kill them herself rather than let them suffocate to death, yet...
Sighing, she turned to a tree that they had hung their pack on and began to rifle through it, searching for their cooking knife. In the process, Kirara wiggled her way out of Kagome's kimono, landing silently in the snow as she stalked up to one of the fish. Kagome didn't stop what she was doing, she already knew what it was Kirara was up to.
As if she had sensed her mistress's discomfort, she quickly dispatched the two remaining fish. Grabbing one in her mouth, she clawed her way up the tree to sit on a branch that was about the same level as Kagome's head. After Kagome had retrieved the knife, she reached inside her kimono with one hand and pulled a revolting Buyo from the depths of it and placed the miffed feline in the tree next to her daughter. Together they shared the fish, though Buyo managed to have a diffcult time as she wasn't much of a climber.
Kagome felt guilty with her amusement with Buyo's predicament. The cat had all her claws embedded deep within the bark, as if she was afraid she would fall at any given moment. Kirara had to constantly move closer to her mother as they fed on the fish, as Buyo would.not.move. from her spot.
Snickering, Kagome took the knife to her own fish and began to slice away the scales. The task was tedious, and cold hunger gnawed at Kagome's stomach. Eventually, she merely gave up, wiped the blade on her kimono and bit into the fish as it was. She was too tired to care it was uncooked or seasoned, and too hungry to be picky about anything except being full.
Inuyasha finished up after catching three more fish, and he began to wade back to land. Kagome watched him carefully, noticing the slump in his shoulders where usually they were squared back and tense. She knew he was exhausted, he barely had much to say to her often and he barely slept at night. Even though he claimed it didn't affect him as much as humans, and though this was true, she could still tell it got to him.
She had asked him before, why he merely didn't run the rest of the way. It would be much quicker, and they would have to stop less frequently. But Inuyasha told her he was afraid he might harm the pup, jostling her around like that. They would have to take it slow. It bothered Kagome that she was the one to be slowing them down, to make things hard on them, but she knew it couldn't be helped.
She didn't want to do anything that might endanger her and her child's health.
Grumbling irratibly, Kagome pulled the bones of the fish from her mouth, smacking her lips in distaste from the texture of it. She flicked them irritably on the ground, turning around to see what was taking Inuyasha so long.
"Koi, aren't you hungry? Come ea..." Kagome began, but she trailed off when she noticed he was not standing there. Kagome turned her head from side to side, trying to determine Inuyasha's location.
"Inu?" she called out to him, walking a bit toward the rampaging river. She ignored the mewls of Buyo wailing for her rescue, concern rapidly filling Kagome as silence was her answer.
"Inuyasha!" she threw down her fish, bolting to the edge of the river. She scanned the surface, doing her best to see if she could catch a glimspe of his red haori, but nothing alerted her to his presence. Panic began to overwhelm her, as she wrung her hands on the edge of her kimono.
"Inuyasha!?"
A hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped, whirling around and smacking the offender right in the face. "KYAA! INUYASHA!" Her eyes were shut tight, waiting for some sort of response to take place...
But then, nothing happened.
Daring to open one of her eyes, she peered cautiously at her intruder. Irritated amber eyes glared at her, and one bushy black eyebrow was twitching. Kagome smiled sheepishly, removing her hand from Inuyasha's cheek. A smart red mark laid underneath it and she grinned wider.
"Gomen... I was afraid you had fallen in the river and..." she trailed off, pointing lamely at the river as if it was at fault for her bitchsmack. Inuyasha just shook his head and groaned, "Save it. Let's just go eat." Kagome merely sighed and nodded in assent, trailing behind him to go retrieve her fish from where she threw it in the snow. Or at least, she had been planning on it...
Until she noticed that Buyo was currently munching on it. Well, not so much munching, per say... As devouring it.
She stared blandly at the cat who not ten minutes earlier wouldn't move from her spot on the tree.
But the fitch managed to get the hell down to finish off MY food.
Inuyasha bent down to retrieve Buyo who meowed at him in dismay and stared down at the mostly eaten fish in question.
He glanced at Kagome and asked, "Wasn't that yours?"
"Yep."
"Didn't you put her in a tree?"
"Yep."
"That... she wouldn't get off of. Correct?"
"Yep."
"But she did... to steal your food."
"Yep."
"How...?"
Kagome held up one hand to stop him from asking.
"I don't question the ways of the Buyo."
"Keh. I guess it's pretty pointless."
"Yep. And Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?"
"Would it be inhumane if I ate Buyo?"
Inuyasha grinned down at his fuming wife, who was glaring murderously at their cleptomaniac of a cat.
"...Probably not."
Inuyasha had taken to carrying her more, to hurry their journey along, and often her legs felt cramped and stiff. She made him carry her on his back just to change her position- being carried in his arms for hours at a time got uncomfortable.
Everything was looking the same, too. Same leafless trees, same snow covered bushes, same frozen ponds. She wasn't even sure they were going the right way anymore, though Inuyasha assured her that they were. He would point out the stars to her every night, but to her they all looked the same. Beautiful, silent, but the same nonetheless.
She lifted her head listlessly to stare at the scenery. She smacked her lips once, making a popping nose. She blinked, never quite having heard that sound come from her mouth before.
She repeated the popping noise.
Inuyasha's ear twitched once, turning around to investigate what she was doing curiously.
Pop.
The ear quivered a bit, flattening itself against Inuyasha's skull to avoid having to encounter such a heinous sound again.
Pop, pop.
"Kag?"
She grunted to show she was paying attention with as minimal effort as was required.
"You bored?'
She grunted, again.
Pop.
Inuyasha felt a vein in his head pop out, pressure building in his fangs as he ground his jaws together to keep from scolding her like a misbehaved child.
Pop.
Luckily, he did not have to because she stopped herself. He was silently thanking Kami for his mercy when she got his attention again.
She had asked him a question he wasn't expecting.
"Inu... doesn't this place seem... I don't know, familiar to you?"
Inuyasha pondered her question, looking at their surroundings for bit. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, though he was sure it was simply from the chill of the winter air.
At least, mostly sure.
"I dunno, everyplace looks familiar to me cause I've been pretty much everywhere. I can't say this stands out to me at all, no," he was muttering to her softly, as if he wasn't convinced of his own words. Kagome's grip at his neck tightened, as she continued to scan the scenery. She was pretty perplexed... there was something about it that she couldn't put her finger on. She was sure if the monotone of the snow had been absent, she would have been able to identify when she had been there last.
But somewhere deep inside her she was screaming, begging to turn around and go back. Though she knew if she said something now, she'd feel foolish. Especially with the fuss she had given him when he tried to take her home.
She was sure she was just homesick, and had pre-battle jitters with her cold and being pregnant. It was all logical, it all made perfect sense.
So then why...
Why couldn't she let this go? Why couldn't she squash this impending feeling of disaster that rode her in waves?
She bit her lip to try and calm her nerves, but she still couldn't help herself.
"I smell smoke, Kagome," Inuyasha cut into her thoughts, and she jumped on his back a bit in surprise... though she didn't get very far. He held her in place tightly, always sure enough that she wouldn't fall off. And for that, she was thankful. The way she had started certainly would have ended up with her bottom first in the snow.
"Smoke? Isn't it too early in the year for forest fires?"
Inuyasha snorted at her, and though she could not see his face, she was certain he was rolling his eyes.
"As in a human fire, baka. We're close," Inuyasha stood stock still, lifting his nose in the air and taking a few deep inhales to see what other information his nose could discern.
Kagome blinked, trying to see what she could see in the distance...
Faster than she could register, Inuyasha took off running. Kagome clutched herself to his back like a leech, squestering Buyo between them so her cat wouldn't fall off in the sudden speed.
"Kya! INUYASHA! Warn someone!"
Inuyasha didn't answer her, and instead he took a gigantic leap into the air that sent Kagome's heart lurching into her throat. Halfway through the jump, he turned around with a flexibility that was inhuman he grabbed her into his arms to absorb the impact of their landing better. She clutched Buyo to her and Kirara dug her nails into Inuyasha's inner haori to keep from being flung off into the unknown.
Kagome had to bite her lip to keep from screaming, watching the ground hurling towards them at massive speeds. Right as they were about to touch down, she whimpered and closed her eyes tightly, burying her face into his chest.
Yes, before this one moment she had indeed ridden on him in such a manner. But it was not often, and it had been so long that she had forgotten what it was like. It was breath-takingly beautiful, but terrifying. Especially when it was unexpected.
Wind whipped in her face with a frozen sting that left her breathing through her nose. She barely felt as Inuyasha touched the ground with one foot and sped off with another great leap.
"I thought you said that you didn't want to do this!" Kagome shouted to him as they reached the peak of their crescendo, trying her best not to look down. Inuyasha merely nodded at her and said loud enough for her to hear him above the wind, "I changed my mind. We're close enough, and I wanna get this done."
She kept silent as with one more jump he brought them to an overhanging hillside, steep and high enough for them to be able to peer down unto the village in relative secrecy. Still, an overwhelming familiarity about the place clung to her like a shroud, as her eyes searched the inhabitants before them. The tension in the air was so thick she wondered if she might choke on it.
Beside her, she heard Inuyasha begin to instinctively growl.
She shot him a look of shock, never having heard him be so outright hostile to villagers before. There was always an undercurrent of discomfort, but not this outright violent reaction. It gave her gooseflesh, and she faced him fully.
"Kagome, you were right."
Peering at him perplexed, she laid one hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention. But he didn't return her gaze, instead held his sights firm on the run down town before them.
"Right about what?"
He gestured to all the humans gathered in the village square. She searched them over, trying to find a recognizable face in the masses... but they were too far away, and her eyes were too weak. She couldn't see them from this distance.
"This place is familiar to us."
Again, she leered at him in askance.
Still he didn't look at her, and instead curled his fist into a tight ball. Kagome gasped as blood began to trickle down his knuckles, staining the snow crimson.
A sign, an omen.
A fang worried Inuyasha's bottom lip, a feral look gleaming in his eyes as if he were ready to murder. It was a sight Kagome had only seen when he was transformed, but the gold that reflected there spoke volumes about his awareness.
He knew what he was doing, and she knew this.
That fact scared her more than if he had transformed fully in front of her.
She shifted on her feet quietly, waiting for him to partake in the answer of why, but he didn't say anything. The only noise she heard cutting through the silence was the small tap, tap of Tetsusaiga on the back of Inuyasha's calf as he moved it around nervously.
"...why?" was all she managed, her voice softer than a whisper.
But she knew, he heard her louder than thunder.
"This is the place where you and I met," hard eyes searched hers for answers he didn't have. Fear that he knew what she was going to say, regardless of it all lingered there. Knowledge of the kind of person she was, the reason he had fallen for her, and the desperate want for just once her not to choose to do the 'right thing'.
"This is the place they tried to murder us. Four years ago, Kagome."
And in that eternal moment, her heart stopped beating. The vivid memory of the stab on her collar bone, which she fingered blankly, sucked her up and drowned her in itself. The confusion, the rejection, the revolting hatred that lingered in the darkest corners of her heart for the prejudice she suffered as nothing more than a child still present.
They didn't try to murder me.... They did. My innocence is gone. I'm not who I once was. They murdered who I used to be.
Hands moved protectively over her stomach, as if to shield her child from the vulgarity of the cold-blodded truth.
Evil is real.
And it existed in the people she once thought of as a family.
A/n: if the ending of the chapter seemed choppy... I am SO sorry. I was so sick of staring at it, I don't feel good, and it had taken me sooo long to update. It took me 3 weeks to write the first block, and half of the second. I couldn't think of anything. But finally, I made progress and here we are. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all the amazing reviews on the last chapter- I would never not update because there wasn't a lot of reviews. I just enjoy the feedback :p. <3 Ttyl! I'mma go sleep now _,_... Achoo. Night :3.
Converting /tmp/phpyPocao to /dev/stdout
Knittingknots: You always do :). <3. Thanks for your inspiration always.
Inuyashaloverr: ^//^ thanks.
ilonabb: Thanks lovely :)
Lunabell: I totally will. ^^
Lunagirl: It's okay! We Lunas stick together amirite? Don't worry, it won't kill my story. But it definitely encourages my muse :).
J Luc Pitard: Hehe I'm happy you're still enjoying the story. Honestly, I was worried to loose your interest. There will totally be action and honestly, I don't know how to go about making an interesting domestic tale e.e;. I don't think I have it in me. I was trying to keep some of the humor involved because I felt it had been so serious lately I wanted some funny :d.
SplendentGoddess: Maaaaybbbeeee. Cause I love Kirara. Honestly, I'm up in the air about Naraku. At chapter 40, to introduce him at this point would make the story drag onnn and onnn. o.o Don't you think? Thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot coming from a great writer like you :).
blackr0s3: I hope you did well, and have had a good time :D. It makes me happy you enjoy the story so much hunny.
unistar: <3<3.
Eris of Chaos: Will do ^^
Inuyashaloverlol: hehe try not to stay awake too long. You need some sleeps :v.
Silverfeather: :D<3!
Thank you to Knitting Knots for always Beta-ing and making sure my material isn't dry :).
Luna-
Chapter 41: Foreboding
Kagome braced herself for another sneeze that unleashed itself in a flurry of boogers and unplesantness. She was sorely beginning to miss the steady warmth of their den, now a two week travel behind them and still they were only half way to the village. The heavy snows had limited their journeying abilities greatly, making them stop for days at a time, but finally it had seemed to clear up. For that, Kagome was thankful because Inuyasha's anxiousness never seemed to disappate and he seemed to hover over her. Not to mention, their food had run out too...Concerned ears flicked at the sound of her sneeze, bringing her frm her thoughts as Inuyasha turned around to face her.
She had been sneezing a lot more often lately, and the last thing he needed her to do was to become ill. Without a second thought, he stripped off his outer haori, earning him a mild protest from Kagome. "Wait... it's cold..." she started, attempting to ward off his efforts by waving her hands.
He ignored her without a second thought, wrapping the garment around his cold wife and tying it shut to add to her an extra layer of warmth. "Keh, you really think I feel this shit?" he smirked at her, leaning down to capture her lips in a teasingly soft kiss. She melted under the considerate affections, pulling him ever closer and tangled her hands in his hair on instinct. He stroked unnaturally warm fingertips against the apples of her cheeks as he pulled away gently, lifting her up to carry her bridal-style in his arms.
She wouldn't complain about it though, she was nearing four months pregnant and already the exhaustion of the day got to her. She tired easily, trying to force herself to be strong-but the lack of food decreased her energy and she had no reserves to speak of. Inuyasha had gone to such lengths as to give up his own foodtake for the last three days, but she could tell it was beginning to wear on him as well. Still, he adamantly refused whatever food she offered to share, and Kagome felt her eye twitch at the thought of his unbearable 'hunter, provider' attitude.
The thought of him dragging her off to a cave by the hair to have his way with her was the image her mind conjured up and she snickered at the thought...
At least, that was until the reality of it settled on her and she was left slightly perturbed by the pun.
Wait. He does drag me off to a cave to have his way with me. Hell, we live in one. Oh my god, I'm a cave woman.
Another sneeze interrupted that train of logic and she sniffled miserably. A concerned gaze pierced her, coming from Inuyasha made her shift in his arms uncomfortably, looking away as if nothing was wrong. The burnished gold reflected he wasn't convinced, and his gazed hardened as he stared at the side of her head. Kagome swore if he stared long enough he might burn her with his leer.
"No, that's it. We're going home. I can't have you fucking sick if we're going to be fighting some youkai. No fucking way," Inuyasha stopped abruptly in his path, made a sudden about face which nearly sent Buyo faceplanting to the ground as a result of the sudden motion of it, and a mewl of protest came from underneath Inuyasha's hair.
That wasn't the only protest to come forth, either.
"NO! Inuyasha, we can't leave helpless people to die!" Kagome grabbed his forelock and pulled with all the might her little fist could muster, trying to get him to stop in his tracks and pay attention to her.
He was as an unfortunately as unmoveable as a mountain when his stubbornness kicked in, especially when it involved her well being, and it was just as grand. Scaling that would be hopeless considering her current condition.
Possibly sick and absolutely pregnant in below freezing temperatures with no food. Inuyasha 1, Kagome 0.
"No, you know what? I don't care! I don't. For all the shit they've dealt us, I'm not above saying fuck them and making you most important. Cause you know what? You are. I'm not dealing with this," the rigid set of his jaw spoke volumes about his opinion on the matter, and Kagome began to flail in his arms to fight the proclaimed tyranny of his decision. The tick in his jaw also increased in pace when she began to fight him.
"No, Inuyasha, no, no! I'm not more important, only we can do this, no!" she pleaded with him, struggling to fight her way out of his arms but he would have none of it. Instead, he clutched her closer to his chest, curling her into a psuedo ball to keep her from being able to maneuver easily. Kirara squirmed her way from the inside of her mistress's kimono, trying to escape being squished in the process.
Kagome finally stopped fighting after what seemed an eternity, much to Inuyasha's relief, but tears sprang forth to her eyes. She leaned against his chest limply, letting loose a miserable groan.
Fighting against his strength when his mind was set on something was akin to bashing her face into a tree. Nothing she did would make headway, and he refused to listen to her reasoning, and it only resulted in one massive migraine.
...So, she did the only thing a hormonal woman in a helpless situation could do.
She cried.
At first it was quiet, hiccuping sobs she tried to hide. Of course, it did no good, and Inuyasha's attempt to ignore it was a bad one at that. She felt his fingers tightening against her bicep and thigh, his claws piercing the rough fabric of her kimono in discomfort of her upset, which only made her more ashamed of making him upset as well, and her cries escalated.
The more she cried, the more uncomfortable he got, and he rocked her like an inconsolable child while cradled in his arms, making shushing noises and soft whines from the back of his throat. His efforts appeared to have the opposite affect, making her cries to the point of hysterics and Inuyasha fought to keep from making it worse but it seemed nothing he did was helping.
"Kagome, please.. please don't cry... I can't stand to see you upset... I just want you to be safe..." he ventured to reason with her as he stopped walking, setting her on her feet and steadying her with his hands on her shoulders. He leaned down a bit to peer into her eyes, trying to get her to understand his point of view and just how serious he was.
But her eyes were pinched tightly shut, her face and nose a bright red as she continued hiccupping and she shook her head.
She was sobbing too hard to answer him properly, and she was too ashamed to anyway. She knew he was only concerned about her safety, and she wasn't trying to make him feel bad about trying to be a good husband.
But she couldn't help but imagine those people, starving and helpless. Children, starving and being murdered.
She couldn't help but place herself in their shoes, to feel the pang of loss at the thought...
What if it was my child?
...Inuyasha did the only thing he could do for her... he held her to him, petting her hair to soothe her. It was a while before she calmed, burying her face into his chest as she sought strength in his arms. He offered it to her, though he was unsure why she had been as hysterical as she was. She attempted to pull herself together, to not let the images of massacred children get to her, but it was an earth shattering thought she could not cope with if she did not do something about it. Her conscience pinched, prodding her heart like a thousand needles and it stung. But she managed to do so, for the sake of talking to him about it all. She had to do this.
She had to.
And when Inuyasha finally deemed her calm enough to hold a conversation, he pulled away from her a bit. She was still sniffing, her face hidden beneath her choppy bangs. Sighing softly, he brushed them to the side and pressed two fingers under her chin to guide her to look at him gently. Her shining sky eyes were wide and afraid, and he drew in a quick breath at the sight. He knew it was more than just helping people... more to it than just being a good person.
"Kags... why does it upset you so much? What's bothering you about this? Why can't you let it go?"
Kagome placed both her hands on her slightly swollen stomach slowly, looking him square in the eye regardless of the tears that still shined in hers.
"Inuyasha... I can't have a clean conscience knowing I'm leaving children to suffer... especially now. Especially because of ours..." she reached one hand out to grab his wrist, to bring his hand to press against her abdomen. Kagome watched as his ears buried themselves in his hair, and his hard look held something dismal there as well. Kagome wanted to smooth away the lines of stress that held his face, the conflict that was so obvious in his eyes. But she knew... he couldn't leave helpless children to suffer, either. Not when it meant so much now.
So much more than it did now that we have our own...
"...all right. But if you get sick, you are not fighting. Are we clear?" Inuyasha's voice brooked no room for arguement, and she gave none.
All she could do was smile radiantly at him, and he lifted her back up into his arms. Turning around, they continued back on their way to the village. Still, it didn't keep him from complaining.
"I still think they're a bunch of assholes, though."
Kagome grinned, "I won't argue with that."
And they continued along in silence.
The lull of his footsteps was enough to send Kagome into slumber, the comfort of feeling protection in his arms proving too much. Inuyasha only smiled as he heard the smallest of snores emanate from the one being in the world that meant the most to him.
Kagome.
~~~*~~~
"Inuyasha, are you sure you're ok in there? You're going to get sick..." Kagome worried on the edge of the river bank. The waters were near white rapids, and the force of them made her nervous. She knew it was the only reason the river had not frozen over, that the current was too swift for the temperature to stop the force of it. Still, watching Inuyasha wade around in it for their breakfast was enough to make her feel frozen. Still... she couldn't deny her stomach, and it growled at the thought of food.She sighed and nearly hung her head in defeat, feeling in this situation she just couldn't win. With Inuyasha, or her appetite.
"Keh, please woman. Youkai don't get sick, I'm made of tougher stuff than humans. Give me some credit," he told her half-heartedly, as he kept his concentration on the fish that flowed past him in the rapids. Kagome made a face at him, annoyed that he kept pointing out his superiority to regular people.
Like he has something to prove...
Rolling her eyes, she pointed out one flaw in his logic. "You're a hanyou, baka. Maybe you can get sick."
Inuyasha snorted incredulously at her, but remained silent. Kagome eyed the river, not able to see anything beneath the surface. She wondered how Inuyasha managed to, but he had already caught one good sized fish. She knew he had some sort of awareness she didn't possess, and she found herself vaguely jealous.
Then again, she already knew he had better senses. Still, it was always awe inspiring to see it in action as opposed to just having knowledge of the fact. It always stirred something deep inside her that took her breath away, watching him. Something beyond natural love, like something ancient that called to her.
The thing that makes him different. His youkai heritage...
Her musing was interrupted by one clawed that shot beneath the surface of the water suddenly, breaking it up in a giant splash that nearly hit Kagome. She managed to scramble out of the way just in the knick of time, tossing him a dirty look in the process."Watch it, baka!" she complained loudly, glaring at him as he just chuckled at her. "I told you to move out of the way a while ago, not my fault you didn't listen!"
He was smirking and Kagome just wanted to do something evil to him for it.
Like poke him in his adam's apple.
Or something.
Yep, she was sure that'd get his attention.
I'll have to remember to do it later.
She did notice, however, there was another fish flopping around helplessly about five feet from where she stood. Smiling, she began to reconsider.
Still, breakfast is pretty nice. I think I'll let it go just this once.
Being fed definitely outweighed her annoyance.
"Are you almost done?" she inquired, going over to retrieve the fish and move it away from the water so it couldn't escape. Inuyasha grunted at her above the noise of rushing water, shaking his head in the negative. "We both need at least two, then we need some for the cats unless we want them to starve. Still, Buyo's fat enough to probably survive the winter."
Kagome huffed silently, pulling open her kimono to peer down at the two cats that lay in there. They buldged her kimono out more than it was usually, and it gave her some idea what it would be like once she was much rounder than she was currently. And it definitely wasn't a feeling she much appreciated.
"Ok. Where are we gonna eat them? There's no place to put a fire," Kagome noted absently, looking at him in inquiry. Inuyasha merely shrugged at her, shaking his head.
"We'll probably have to eat them raw. Sorry Kag..." Again, his hand breeched the water and another hapless fish was sent flying through the air. Kagome watched it soar like a would-be bird and it landed not a foot from her. She blinked at it twice then turned her attention back to Inuyasha.
"All right... I guess, I'll just eat then. I'm hungry. Do you mind?" Kagome asked as she reached for an already dead one, not having the heart to kill the other two. Though she was sure it would be more merciful to kill them herself rather than let them suffocate to death, yet...
Sighing, she turned to a tree that they had hung their pack on and began to rifle through it, searching for their cooking knife. In the process, Kirara wiggled her way out of Kagome's kimono, landing silently in the snow as she stalked up to one of the fish. Kagome didn't stop what she was doing, she already knew what it was Kirara was up to.
As if she had sensed her mistress's discomfort, she quickly dispatched the two remaining fish. Grabbing one in her mouth, she clawed her way up the tree to sit on a branch that was about the same level as Kagome's head. After Kagome had retrieved the knife, she reached inside her kimono with one hand and pulled a revolting Buyo from the depths of it and placed the miffed feline in the tree next to her daughter. Together they shared the fish, though Buyo managed to have a diffcult time as she wasn't much of a climber.
Kagome felt guilty with her amusement with Buyo's predicament. The cat had all her claws embedded deep within the bark, as if she was afraid she would fall at any given moment. Kirara had to constantly move closer to her mother as they fed on the fish, as Buyo would.not.move. from her spot.
Snickering, Kagome took the knife to her own fish and began to slice away the scales. The task was tedious, and cold hunger gnawed at Kagome's stomach. Eventually, she merely gave up, wiped the blade on her kimono and bit into the fish as it was. She was too tired to care it was uncooked or seasoned, and too hungry to be picky about anything except being full.
Inuyasha finished up after catching three more fish, and he began to wade back to land. Kagome watched him carefully, noticing the slump in his shoulders where usually they were squared back and tense. She knew he was exhausted, he barely had much to say to her often and he barely slept at night. Even though he claimed it didn't affect him as much as humans, and though this was true, she could still tell it got to him.
She had asked him before, why he merely didn't run the rest of the way. It would be much quicker, and they would have to stop less frequently. But Inuyasha told her he was afraid he might harm the pup, jostling her around like that. They would have to take it slow. It bothered Kagome that she was the one to be slowing them down, to make things hard on them, but she knew it couldn't be helped.
She didn't want to do anything that might endanger her and her child's health.
Grumbling irratibly, Kagome pulled the bones of the fish from her mouth, smacking her lips in distaste from the texture of it. She flicked them irritably on the ground, turning around to see what was taking Inuyasha so long.
"Koi, aren't you hungry? Come ea..." Kagome began, but she trailed off when she noticed he was not standing there. Kagome turned her head from side to side, trying to determine Inuyasha's location.
"Inu?" she called out to him, walking a bit toward the rampaging river. She ignored the mewls of Buyo wailing for her rescue, concern rapidly filling Kagome as silence was her answer.
"Inuyasha!" she threw down her fish, bolting to the edge of the river. She scanned the surface, doing her best to see if she could catch a glimspe of his red haori, but nothing alerted her to his presence. Panic began to overwhelm her, as she wrung her hands on the edge of her kimono.
"Inuyasha!?"
A hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped, whirling around and smacking the offender right in the face. "KYAA! INUYASHA!" Her eyes were shut tight, waiting for some sort of response to take place...
But then, nothing happened.
Daring to open one of her eyes, she peered cautiously at her intruder. Irritated amber eyes glared at her, and one bushy black eyebrow was twitching. Kagome smiled sheepishly, removing her hand from Inuyasha's cheek. A smart red mark laid underneath it and she grinned wider.
"Gomen... I was afraid you had fallen in the river and..." she trailed off, pointing lamely at the river as if it was at fault for her bitchsmack. Inuyasha just shook his head and groaned, "Save it. Let's just go eat." Kagome merely sighed and nodded in assent, trailing behind him to go retrieve her fish from where she threw it in the snow. Or at least, she had been planning on it...
Until she noticed that Buyo was currently munching on it. Well, not so much munching, per say... As devouring it.
She stared blandly at the cat who not ten minutes earlier wouldn't move from her spot on the tree.
But the fitch managed to get the hell down to finish off MY food.
Inuyasha bent down to retrieve Buyo who meowed at him in dismay and stared down at the mostly eaten fish in question.
He glanced at Kagome and asked, "Wasn't that yours?"
"Yep."
"Didn't you put her in a tree?"
"Yep."
"That... she wouldn't get off of. Correct?"
"Yep."
"But she did... to steal your food."
"Yep."
"How...?"
Kagome held up one hand to stop him from asking.
"I don't question the ways of the Buyo."
"Keh. I guess it's pretty pointless."
"Yep. And Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?"
"Would it be inhumane if I ate Buyo?"
Inuyasha grinned down at his fuming wife, who was glaring murderously at their cleptomaniac of a cat.
"...Probably not."
~~~~*~~~~
Kagome laid her chin down on Inuyasha's shoulder, her eyelids heavy as sleep threatened to claim her. Plainly put, she was bored. For the last few hours, she had been too cold to say much of anything to Inuyasha. It burned her throat to talk and she felt somewhat feverish. So she opted to rest, making herself comfortable against Inuyasha's back as he carried her. Kirara was napping in her hair and Buyo was laid across both of their shoulders.Inuyasha had taken to carrying her more, to hurry their journey along, and often her legs felt cramped and stiff. She made him carry her on his back just to change her position- being carried in his arms for hours at a time got uncomfortable.
Everything was looking the same, too. Same leafless trees, same snow covered bushes, same frozen ponds. She wasn't even sure they were going the right way anymore, though Inuyasha assured her that they were. He would point out the stars to her every night, but to her they all looked the same. Beautiful, silent, but the same nonetheless.
She lifted her head listlessly to stare at the scenery. She smacked her lips once, making a popping nose. She blinked, never quite having heard that sound come from her mouth before.
She repeated the popping noise.
Inuyasha's ear twitched once, turning around to investigate what she was doing curiously.
Pop.
The ear quivered a bit, flattening itself against Inuyasha's skull to avoid having to encounter such a heinous sound again.
Pop, pop.
"Kag?"
She grunted to show she was paying attention with as minimal effort as was required.
"You bored?'
She grunted, again.
Pop.
Inuyasha felt a vein in his head pop out, pressure building in his fangs as he ground his jaws together to keep from scolding her like a misbehaved child.
Pop.
Luckily, he did not have to because she stopped herself. He was silently thanking Kami for his mercy when she got his attention again.
She had asked him a question he wasn't expecting.
"Inu... doesn't this place seem... I don't know, familiar to you?"
Inuyasha pondered her question, looking at their surroundings for bit. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, though he was sure it was simply from the chill of the winter air.
At least, mostly sure.
"I dunno, everyplace looks familiar to me cause I've been pretty much everywhere. I can't say this stands out to me at all, no," he was muttering to her softly, as if he wasn't convinced of his own words. Kagome's grip at his neck tightened, as she continued to scan the scenery. She was pretty perplexed... there was something about it that she couldn't put her finger on. She was sure if the monotone of the snow had been absent, she would have been able to identify when she had been there last.
But somewhere deep inside her she was screaming, begging to turn around and go back. Though she knew if she said something now, she'd feel foolish. Especially with the fuss she had given him when he tried to take her home.
She was sure she was just homesick, and had pre-battle jitters with her cold and being pregnant. It was all logical, it all made perfect sense.
So then why...
Why couldn't she let this go? Why couldn't she squash this impending feeling of disaster that rode her in waves?
She bit her lip to try and calm her nerves, but she still couldn't help herself.
"I smell smoke, Kagome," Inuyasha cut into her thoughts, and she jumped on his back a bit in surprise... though she didn't get very far. He held her in place tightly, always sure enough that she wouldn't fall off. And for that, she was thankful. The way she had started certainly would have ended up with her bottom first in the snow.
"Smoke? Isn't it too early in the year for forest fires?"
Inuyasha snorted at her, and though she could not see his face, she was certain he was rolling his eyes.
"As in a human fire, baka. We're close," Inuyasha stood stock still, lifting his nose in the air and taking a few deep inhales to see what other information his nose could discern.
Kagome blinked, trying to see what she could see in the distance...
Faster than she could register, Inuyasha took off running. Kagome clutched herself to his back like a leech, squestering Buyo between them so her cat wouldn't fall off in the sudden speed.
"Kya! INUYASHA! Warn someone!"
Inuyasha didn't answer her, and instead he took a gigantic leap into the air that sent Kagome's heart lurching into her throat. Halfway through the jump, he turned around with a flexibility that was inhuman he grabbed her into his arms to absorb the impact of their landing better. She clutched Buyo to her and Kirara dug her nails into Inuyasha's inner haori to keep from being flung off into the unknown.
Kagome had to bite her lip to keep from screaming, watching the ground hurling towards them at massive speeds. Right as they were about to touch down, she whimpered and closed her eyes tightly, burying her face into his chest.
Yes, before this one moment she had indeed ridden on him in such a manner. But it was not often, and it had been so long that she had forgotten what it was like. It was breath-takingly beautiful, but terrifying. Especially when it was unexpected.
Wind whipped in her face with a frozen sting that left her breathing through her nose. She barely felt as Inuyasha touched the ground with one foot and sped off with another great leap.
"I thought you said that you didn't want to do this!" Kagome shouted to him as they reached the peak of their crescendo, trying her best not to look down. Inuyasha merely nodded at her and said loud enough for her to hear him above the wind, "I changed my mind. We're close enough, and I wanna get this done."
She kept silent as with one more jump he brought them to an overhanging hillside, steep and high enough for them to be able to peer down unto the village in relative secrecy. Still, an overwhelming familiarity about the place clung to her like a shroud, as her eyes searched the inhabitants before them. The tension in the air was so thick she wondered if she might choke on it.
Beside her, she heard Inuyasha begin to instinctively growl.
She shot him a look of shock, never having heard him be so outright hostile to villagers before. There was always an undercurrent of discomfort, but not this outright violent reaction. It gave her gooseflesh, and she faced him fully.
"Kagome, you were right."
Peering at him perplexed, she laid one hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention. But he didn't return her gaze, instead held his sights firm on the run down town before them.
"Right about what?"
He gestured to all the humans gathered in the village square. She searched them over, trying to find a recognizable face in the masses... but they were too far away, and her eyes were too weak. She couldn't see them from this distance.
"This place is familiar to us."
Again, she leered at him in askance.
Still he didn't look at her, and instead curled his fist into a tight ball. Kagome gasped as blood began to trickle down his knuckles, staining the snow crimson.
A sign, an omen.
A fang worried Inuyasha's bottom lip, a feral look gleaming in his eyes as if he were ready to murder. It was a sight Kagome had only seen when he was transformed, but the gold that reflected there spoke volumes about his awareness.
He knew what he was doing, and she knew this.
That fact scared her more than if he had transformed fully in front of her.
She shifted on her feet quietly, waiting for him to partake in the answer of why, but he didn't say anything. The only noise she heard cutting through the silence was the small tap, tap of Tetsusaiga on the back of Inuyasha's calf as he moved it around nervously.
"...why?" was all she managed, her voice softer than a whisper.
But she knew, he heard her louder than thunder.
"This is the place where you and I met," hard eyes searched hers for answers he didn't have. Fear that he knew what she was going to say, regardless of it all lingered there. Knowledge of the kind of person she was, the reason he had fallen for her, and the desperate want for just once her not to choose to do the 'right thing'.
"This is the place they tried to murder us. Four years ago, Kagome."
And in that eternal moment, her heart stopped beating. The vivid memory of the stab on her collar bone, which she fingered blankly, sucked her up and drowned her in itself. The confusion, the rejection, the revolting hatred that lingered in the darkest corners of her heart for the prejudice she suffered as nothing more than a child still present.
They didn't try to murder me.... They did. My innocence is gone. I'm not who I once was. They murdered who I used to be.
Hands moved protectively over her stomach, as if to shield her child from the vulgarity of the cold-blodded truth.
Evil is real.
And it existed in the people she once thought of as a family.
A/n: if the ending of the chapter seemed choppy... I am SO sorry. I was so sick of staring at it, I don't feel good, and it had taken me sooo long to update. It took me 3 weeks to write the first block, and half of the second. I couldn't think of anything. But finally, I made progress and here we are. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all the amazing reviews on the last chapter- I would never not update because there wasn't a lot of reviews. I just enjoy the feedback :p. <3 Ttyl! I'mma go sleep now _,_... Achoo. Night :3.
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