InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Simple and Clean ❯ Humanity Haunted ( Chapter 33 )

I'm so sorry I took so long to update! I had a lot of relatives coming and going during the holidays and then once I got back I was hit with reviewing for finals… at the moment I'm sick, so I finally have some time to write! One of my reviewers had an awesome word, so the word of the week for this week is now dubbed `Marvelent'… Yay! You media miner people were really unresponsive last update… only one review. Did you hate it? Love it? I can't even tell anymore…;____; anyways, thank you to those fanfiction .net people and my lone media miner reader who did review. Mediaminer readers, please check out my two newly posted art pieces on my account and tell me what you think! Thank you all for staying with me this far, review or not… I wholeheartedly appreciate all of your support!

Recap:

The sound of a bow stringing taught again reached their ears as Kikyo raised her bow once more. And as she did so, a light from within her, shining through her skin like tears in paper, began to cover her body. She attempted to release the arrow from her bow but her fingers were lost in the light and as she disappeared, Kagome saw Kikyo smile slightly, as if she knew she had never meant to let the arrow go to begin with.

Far off in the distance at the base of the mountain, the wind whistled through a ravaged village that had been abandoned whispering `freedom' to the flowers.

 

Chapter 33

Humanity Haunted

 

Thanks to Akeryou, kittencutie14, and xobabygurl4lifexowho reviewed,

and to hime Miharu-san as well as any one else who added me (I can't keep track anymore!!)!

-I-

At a time such as then, as the young woman floated away with the wind, and a loved one was lost to light, it would seem that even the cruelest, coldest human being would find something in his or her heart to melt the ice that surrounded it. Then again, since apparently Naraku had no heart, such hope was wasted on him. In fact, Kagome had begun to wonder if Naraku wasn't human at all, but some twisted demon residing in the shell of what was once a man. He obviously wasn't who he had been, his newfound demonic aura was proof enough of that, but she had hoped that deep within him something good, something even remotely human, might begin to wake. Unfortunately, Kagome had always been somewhat of an optimist, and her naïveté kept her from seeing that this man was long past saving.

In the midst of all of this commotion, Naraku had watched serenely as if a screen of impenetrable glass stood before him and the oh-so-human emotions that seemed to flow from everyone around him. Kagura's heart became cold and solid in his hand, crumbling to dust as he squeezed it mercilessly. She wouldn't have died from Kikyo's arrow, for he held her heart in his own hands. That is, she wouldn't have died if he hadn't killed her himself, but the look in her eyes, so familiar to him, had had a strange effect on his mind. It was something that he had held deep within himself for such a long time that to see it reflected in hers filled him with burning rage. He could not live with the fact that something that he had created to be perfect would still hold that feeling that he himself tried so hard to be rid of. That emotion which only seemed to bring despair and loneliness, the curse of humanity that haunted him.

And then as he watched the last of the light fade from the spot where Kikyo had stood, wishing death on the person who wanted her most, he started to laugh. It dawned on him how useless he was, that he could not accomplish the only thing that he had wanted. The woman he worked so hard to steal away from the cruelty of reality, and the imperfection in himself, could not be cured. It would follow him no matter where he went, like a shadow that does not fade when you turn out the lights. And if he had given up his humanity to gain love, the one thing that defines humanity, then there was nothing left to live for.

Naraku felt the demonic power that had flooded through his body begin to ebb away like the tide, and as he did, he felt another power, an untainted power that seemed to hang in the air like a pure note breaking the stillness of the morning. It did not waver, but instead seemed to feed on the energy that he was letting go, and as it did, it became more clear and steady. Feeling a jolt of fear pierce his chest, he pulled back and the demonic power surrounded him again like a turtle in a shell. Naraku turned his gaze to the girl, who was staring at him with horror, and strangely, what looked almost like pity. Forcing the thought from his consciousness, Naraku focused on her. Sure enough, she was beginning to emit a strange ethereal light; different from his aura as well as the light that Kikyo had given off. He hadn't noticed merely because he hadn't looked, or maybe that was a part of her strange power. Nevertheless, he knew that whatever she possessed would not bode well for him. The girl must be stopped.

-II-

Kagome probably should have noticed the strange feeling uncurling in her stomach, a sensation that filled her slowly with an inner strength that seemed to tiptoe through her, raising her slightly higher with every beat of her heart. She should have noticed but she was too worried about Inuyasha. Feeling an ache in her chest, her eyes prickled with despair as she realized that she was truly alone. No one was here to shield her, to help her through the hard times. They had all left and she was by herself, naked in this void of hopelessness. But she wasn't helpless. This time she was going to have to do it herself. Setting Inuyasha down, she held her head slightly higher, maybe to convince Naraku that she wasn't done, not yet. Or maybe it was to convince herself of that.

Kneeling next to the wounded boy, she ripped off his white haori into strips, quickly binding them around his wound as she kept a watchful eye on Naraku. He was watching her as well, and she wondered what his dark eyes held. There was something in them, a remnant of the past that held his heart; a small piece of soul that had snagged and caught. She felt a deep sorrow in those eyes that had been used and twisted to the whim of the darkness that swallowed it.

Inuyasha was passing in and out of consciousness, his returns punctuated by a sharp intake of breath as he felt the pain once again, and then a quick stifling as he saw the look in Kagome's eyes. It was almost comical, how he tried to hide his pain a split-second too late; almost. Kagome, feeling each painful smile like a jab in the stomach, reached within herself.

Deep down, where she thought there should be darkness and calm, she felt a startling power that seemed to grow as she touched it. Drawing a small bit out, she gasped as her hand shimmered for a moment. As if she had rehearsed the movements endlessly, she touched her hand to the wound in Inuyasha's stomach and passed a jolt of power to him. His eyes closed slowly, and Kagome pulled her hand away in horror. I… I killed him… She thought numbly as she let her hand fall to the ground.

About to look away, she noticed that the blood on the bandages had stopped spreading, as though someone had put invisible walls around to stop it. Lifting the bandages gently so as not to aggravate the wound, Kagome held back a gasp. Beneath the strips of shirt, the wound had stopped bleeding and the skin started to bond together. Inuyasha's breath began to come in a steady, even pattern, and his eyes blinked open. “What'd I miss?” He yawned as he sat up. Kagome knew that something good was beginning to turn the wheels of fate.

A strange sensation in her side brought her back to reality. Her skin prickled as if it had been frozen and then had begun to thaw again. Putting a hand to her side, she pulled away in surprise. The feeling had dissipated and in her hand she felt a small spherical piece of smooth rock. Holding it up to her face she realized what had just happened. The Shikon no Tama that had been lost since her entrance into the other realm, the jewel that she was so sure she had left behind had instead fused with her body. Why it had reappeared at that moment though, was a mystery to her.

Kagome turned her head as Naraku's voice dripped venomously through the air, “It wasn't much use to heal him little girl, you should know that I'm just going to kill him anyways.” Kagome stood, her legs trembling as they supported her weight. Her teeth began to chatter, but did not feel the cold. The shiver that went through her spine and the foreboding feeling those words seemed to poison her with were fear.

“Best get out of the way you silly girl,” Naraku said nonchalantly, a strange expression on his face that seemed almost insane, “Before I slash you through as well!” Kagome let out a shout as Naraku's strange tentacle-like arm whipped out from within his sleeve. She crouched, trying to shield herself and Inuyasha from it. For a split second, time seemed to stop, and the entire courtyard was quiet. Then a strange sizzling sound could be heard and Kagome let out the stale air that she had been holding. When she looked up, a faint pearly shield screened Naraku from the girl.

When Kagome looked closer she could see that what used to be Naraku's arm was now a charred stump. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as the smell of burnt and rotted skin sent her eyes rolling momentarily back in her head. She swooned slightly trying to keep her balance. Naraku was rotting from the inside out…

-III-

Sesshomaru walked noiselessly into through, his sense of smell all but diminished. He scowled slightly, knowing that the loss was because of the putrid stench of long-dead bodies. What had caused their deaths, he could only guess. As he arrived at the room Kagura described, he felt something lift from deep within his chest. The odor of death did not permeate this room in particular. Sesshomaru realized that he had been worried. Shaking his head to clear it of such insane thoughts, he slid the door open.

Shock might have been the best word to describe what Sesshomaru felt next, but because he himself did not understand exactly what it was, it is quite hard to categorize it at all. The person laying on the futon in front of him had creamy, pale skin, punctuated by a delicate mouth, and set in a stubborn, almost childish chin. Her hair had once been tied up, but the ribbons now lay loosely twined between her dark mahogany hair, its strands curling around her face. Her eyes were closed, but she still breathed, as if she were sleeping. This girl-no, this woman- was undoubtedly Rin.

Lowering himself gracefully to one knee, Sesshomaru clasped her face in his hands. He almost let go in surprise to find that she was cold to the touch. Frowning, he shook her in a feeble attempt to wake her, but to no avail. Sesshomaru cushioned Rin's neck with a hand, and then slipped another behind her knees before gently lifting her. He did not know quite why he took so much care to do this, seeing as how she obviously would not wake up, but he did it just the same. As he did so, the yukata she wore (now almost obscenely too short for her) fell off of one shoulder to reveal the small curvature of her breasts. Suddenly, Sesshomaru felt hotness spread over his cheeks and he glanced away quickly.

Mentally scolding himself, he righted the robe and stood, wondering why on earth something as little as that could have caused him to flush. About to slide the door shut once more, this time on an empty room, Sesshomaru almost jumped as Rin moaned softly in her sleep. He looked down just in time to notice the expression she sometimes wore when she thought he wasn't looking, a lonely, sad sort of look as if she knew something tremendous that no one else could even hope to comprehend. Had she always looked so-mature when she did that?

Sesshomaru set off to find the rest of the travelers and Naraku, wondering how he was going to explain to Myoga about Rin, and deciding that it was just a trick of the dim lights that made him think these insane things.

-End of Chapter Notes-

hmmm... and the plot thickens. Please forgive my slow update, it really isn't going to become a habit, I promise! I'm sure most of you understand how the holiday season is! Please drop me a review and tell me what you think… this will be one of the last times you can because -sniffles- there aren't many chapters left! So, until next time then!