InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Speaking Through Dreams ❯ Off the Edge of Dispare ( Chapter 6 )

Speaking Through Dreams

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; that right belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. No profit is being made off of this story, so please don't sue me; I have no money.

 

Japanese Words in this Chapter:

Kami: god, deity or a spirit of nature

Baka: stupid/idiot

Hanyou: half demon

Houriki: Power of Bubba. What houshi's and other monks use to perform exorcisms, sense youki, use magic, etc.

Taijiya: demon slayer

Shikon no Tama: Jewel of four souls

Miko: Shinto (Japanese religion) priestess

Arigato: thank you

Inukkoro: dog-face/dog turd

Yokata: thank goodness

Bouzo: an insulting term for a Buddhist priest

 

Chapter 6: Off the Edge of Despair

 

“Get you hands offa my Kagome! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!!”

 

Inuyasha? Is that really you?

 

Kagome could hear the tentacle that was in her being torn to pieces, and felt strong warm hands pick her up and carry her to safety. Now that the tentacle was gone and her energy was no longer being drained, Kagome's body was able to slowly heal itself. The first thing she noticed was that she could hear trees rushing past her, and that the rain had stopped. Next her sense of smell regained its strength and she was able to take a good whiff of the person who had rescued her. She breathed in through her nose expecting to smell Inuyasha's sent, but was simultaneously let down and slightly worried when she realized by smell that this person wasn't Inuyasha. She didn't know who it was, but they smelt slightly familiar.

 

Hmm, forests and meadows, where have you smelt that before?

 

`Danger! You are in a great danger right now. I'm telling you, this is a bad smell!'

 

Danger? How can that be? This person just rescued you, how is that dangerous! Plus he smells familiar.

 

`Yeah, but his smell is also threatening! Emotions aren't something you're used to yet Kagome and you need to trust your instincts. Especially in a vulnerable state like this!'

 

Kagome tried to open her eyes, but they were very heavy. After a few seconds of straining, she was able to start pulling them open, slowly but steadily. Her vision was blurry for a few seconds and she couldn't see much except for a brown and black blur above her, and green and dark blue blurs surrounding her.

 

“Kagome! You're finally awake! I was so worried that inukkoro had let you get hurt! Heh, guess I was right too. I knew that weakling wouldn't be able to protect my Kagome.”

 

“Kouga? Is that you?” Kagome's vision started clearing up and was shocked to find that the person carrying her was indeed Kouga. Trying to block out what he had said about Inuyasha and what her instincts were telling her, Kagome let herself feel a bit of relief that Kouga was here. She had completely forgotten about her friendship with him! Kouga was very sweet and a strong fighter. If the two of them worked together, they could defeat Naraku and start a pack together! After all, he was all she had left to go to. Sure, it would take a lot of time for her heart to heal, but Kouga was very sweet and understanding with her, and she was sure that he would help her. It looked like everything would be alright after all.

 

“Kagome,” Kouga stopped running. He sounded very serious, almost threatening. “why do you smell like that mutt?” Kagome could hear a deep growl vibrating in his throat and his voice starting to shake with fury as he tried to control himself.

 

“Well…”

 

“And why do you have dog-ears?” He asked through clenched teeth.

 

“Let me explain, you see…”

 

“EXPLAIN WHAT!?” Kouga had snapped. He dropped Kagome and she flinched away from him.

 

“Explain why you smell like that baka mutt? Or explain why you're a hanyou?” The last word was practically spit out as Kouga towered over Kagome's shaking figure. Why was he reacting like this? This wasn't the Kouga Kagome knew. Kagome could feel the tears that had failed to come before start welling up in her eyes. She was scared, her neck hurt really bad, and she could smell and feel hate and disgust pouring off of Kouga.

 

“I know exactly what you did! You let that mutt become your mate, didn't you, you slut!? I can't believe I saved my love for a piece of trash like you! You disgust me!” Kouga's words were dripping with hatred as he yelled at Kagome, who had started to cry. Why was he doing this? Couldn't he see the pain she was already in? The pain he was causing her?

 

“Kouga, you don't understand!” Kagome pleaded. She was crying full force now and was shaking in sorrow and fear.

 

“Save it you hanyou piece of dirt!” Kouga kicked Kagome in the stomach and spit on her.

 

“I outta kill you right now you wench, but it wouldn't be worth the strength. I regret ever saving you. You're so weak you couldn't even save your own friends from their dooms. I don't know what I ever saw in you.” Kagome was shaking on the ground, a river of tears pouring from her eyes as she sobbed. To make his disgust cleared, Kouga reached down and grabbed Kagome by the hair, dragged her up, and slapped her face so hard it knocked her to the ground.

 

“I never want to see your filthy hanyou face again. Do I make myself clear, slut? I hate you.” Each of the last three words he said were slower than the last and dripping with malice. With a final kick and spit, Kouga ran over Kagome and away from her, out of her life forever.

 

Kagome, bruised beaten and weak, gathered herself into a ball and did the only thing she had the strength to do. She cried bitterly. The last month had completely destroyed everything she thought she knew about her family and friends. Now, she had nothing left. The only person she knew in either era was Sesshomaru, and being both a hanyou and friends with his hated brother weren't exactly good ways to get on his good side.

 

Kagome cried out in sorrow and regret all night. She didn't know how many times she apologized to her friends for failing them. The weight of her grief pushed Kagome's heart into her stomach and she cried out in sorrow. So this is what it was like to be Inuyasha when he was growing up. Having no one in a world that loves you. If you have to live like he did, then you'll probably end up with as many emotional problems as he had. Oh, Inuyasha. I miss you so much.

 

`Bad move Kagome, thinking about Inuyasha. The only thing emotions will do for you right now is make you weak and an easy target. The only reason Inuyasha survived as long as he did was because he suppressed his emotions. Think about it; how may adult hanyous do you see walking around? None! Because they all get killed off at an early age because they let their emotions get the better of them. In order to survive now, you must be very smart and very alert, or you will die.'

 

Maybe you want to die; maybe you just want it all to end.

 

`How can you say that!? Your pack sacrificed their lives to save you, and you are willing to just give up and make their sacrifices vain!? I can't believe you would even dare to think that way!'

 

Now Kagome felt even worse than she had. She couldn't give up because her friends would be rolling in their graves, and she couldn't go on because it was too hard. Eventually, after crying for what seemed like an eternity without her friends, Kagome fell into a fitful sleep.

 

“We're…-r!”

 

“Quick…and fill…need to counteract…”

 

“…Kagome…”

 

“…of here! You're…and won't…”

 

The voices continued to fade in and out like that in her dream. Sometimes they were anxious, sometimes they were encouraging, but they always sounded distant and cold.

 

*******~~~~~~scene change~~~~~~*******

 

“Kagome-chan! Where are you?” The voice almost sounded familiar and worried, but that wasn't possible. Nobody knew her or cared about her anymore.

 

“Kagome-sama! Please, if you're alive answer us!” Another familiar voice. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. There's no way it's possible, no way. No way at all.

 

“Oh Houshi-sama, I hope she's alright.” Sango?

 

“I know, Sango, I know. She is probably just resting somewhere to regain her strength. That's all. You need not fear.” Miroku?

 

“You're right. We just need to look harder.”

 

But, but that's impossible, they're dead!

 

`*groan* You baka! Neither of them had the stench of death on them, remember? They both must've survived somehow!'

 

That's right! Why didn't you realize it sooner!?

 

“Sango-chan, Miroku-sama? Is that you?” Kagome wiped her eyes and felt her spirits rising in anticipation. The fact that she might have been wrong about their deaths was like a light to her world. It wasn't a big light but it helped, like a candle. The candle itself wasn't very bright, but compared to the darkness of the surrounding storm, it made all the difference; lighting up the path, just enough so that you don't trip.

 

“KAGOME-CHAN!! Oh thank Kami you're all right!” Sango ran in the direction that she heard Kagome's voice and was mowed over with a hug by her overjoyed inu-hanyou friend. Rolling on the ground, she was almost giggling in glee as she returned Kagome's hug.

 

“Lady Kagome! Yokata, it is good to see you alive. Sango and I have been searching for you four hours!” Miroku greeted as he walked up with a huge smile on his face.

 

“Yes. I'm so happy you two are all right!” Kagome didn't bother hiding her tears this time; they were tears of joy and relief after all, and those types of tears aren't meant to be healed back. But in spite of this small bit of joy in her otherwise crushingly depressing world, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if this was real, or just another dream.

 

“But Miroku,” Kagome decided to test, “how did you guys survive Naraku's attack? And how are your wounds healed?” Kagome wanted to make sure that this was real for once.

 

“Well,” Miroku started, “as it tunes out, Myouga-sama had been there the entire time, watching us. As soon as Naraku left the battle ground, Myouga-sama promptly hopped over to me and sucked out much of the poison that I had somehow sucked up in Naraku's place. When I was able to move again I went over to Sango and used my houriki to heal her. After that Myouga-sama said he had some business to attend to and left.”

 

“But Miroku-sama, how was Naraku able to do that” Kagome asked. “How did he avoid your Kazaana and how was he able to move like that; it was like he was disappearing and reappearing!” Kagome's voice shook slightly as she remembered what had happened that night. It sent shivers up her spine and made her skin crawl

 

“I wish I knew Kagome-sama, I truly wish I knew.” Came Miroku's apologetic answer. The three of them grew very quiet and serious as the weight of their lack of knowledge came down on their uneasy minds. How could they defeat someone if they didn't even know how to touch him, let alone hurt him. But thinking about it right now wasn't helping anything and it was breaking their rare moment of peacefulness, so Sango decided to break the silence and talk about something she hoped would return them to their bliss.

 

“So Kagome,” Sango began, “where are Shippo and Kirara?” Whatever Sango had expected for an answer, she didn't get it. Kagome's face went immediately blank, the kind of blank that reflects emotions through the eyes. Kagome's eyes were looking off in the distance, liked she was seeing something that only she could see, and it was making her sad. Her eyes were full of so much pain and so much sadness, the taijiya was amazed that her entire soul didn't spill out of them, swept out with the river of tears that she could see forming.

 

“Naraku…assimilated them” Kagome answered in barely a whisper as tears started to fall from her now downcast head. “I wasn't strong enough to save them…I tried, but not hard enough…I'm just too weak…too weak to save you guys, too weak to save Inuyasha, too weak to save Kaede, or Shippo, or Kirara…I'm just too…damn…weak…” Kagome sobbed bitterly as she spoke, while tears were pouring out of her eyes and her soul was pouring out of her mouth. “and what's worse…I almost lost you guys…you're all I have left, and I couldn't save you…I'm just a filthy, good-for-nothing hanyou…Kouga told me I was lower than dirt…and he's right! I couldn't save you and you almost died! I DID NOTHING!!” Kagome could no longer speak as her crying and weeping took all her strength. All her pain and guilt overflowed over her dam of emotions and poured out through her eyes. Sango and Miroku simply gave their distressing friend a comforting hug. They both knew what it was like to be helpless to save their loved ones, and they also knew that there wasn't much they could do to comfort her.

 

Kagome cried until she passed out with exhaust, much like Shippo had the night Inuyasha died. When she revived, by and unspoken agreement, the three of them walked to field where Inuyasha had been buried. It only took them a few hours to make it there, since that's where they had been heading in the first place. The entire trip over had been in silence, with only the sounds of their foot falls reaching their ears. It seemed as though all of nature recognized their solemn march and stayed quiet for them. Not even the wind blew. The clouds from the previous nights storm where starting to break up, but all they left behind was a sheet of grey.

 

When Kagome and the others arrived at the sight, they wordlessly started to make 3 new graves. One to honor Kaede, one to honor Kirara, and one to honor Shippo. The work took them until sunset, and Sango and Miroku decided to let Kagome finish up the graves and went to sleep. Emotional stress had taken its toll on their bodies and they needed a good nights sleep before they would be able to figure out what to do next.

 

Kagome spent an hour just staring at the graves, reminiscing on all the times they had shared together. After she was done shedding her tears, she put the markers on their graves. On Kaede's she put the bow and quiver that Kaede had given her. On Shippo's grave she placed the top he liked to use for his kitsune magic. And for Kirara Kagome placed the katana the Sango carried with her. When she was done with her task, Kagome felt sleep start to over take her. she was glad too, because being awake was too hard and too painful right now, physically and emotionally. But as she was falling asleep, Kagome felt a pain in her neck. She tried to ignore it but it just wouldn't go away.

 

After probably 10 minutes of this weird pain, Kagome realized that it was a shard of the Shikon no Tama! But that's impossible! Naraku had taken all you shards, and besides that you lost all you miko powers when you became a hanyou. What's going on?!

 

Kagome opened her eyes and was shocked to see that everything was dark. Not the `oh it's night time' dark she was used to, but a dark she hadn't known since the last time she was fully human. Not only that, but she felt like she couldn't hear or smell anything! That's an extremely dangerous thing for a hanyou; your sense of smell is what tells you everything about everything: gender, hostility, identity, location, emotion, without it, Kagome felt like she was blind. She stood up but fell against a tree. Her sense of balance was off too! What's going on? Please tell me! When she didn't get an answer from her instincts, Kagome looked down to see normal human hands.

 

Oh yeah, that's right! Hanyous have a night once a month when they turn human. But wait, if you have a human night, then why is it that this is the first time you've had one in over a month!?

 

A sharp jolt to her neck brought Kagome out of her thoughts. Because she was a human right now, she must have regained her miko powers. That's why she could feel the presence of the Shikon no Tama. but something about it was, off…different than any other time she had felt it before. It almost felt like she was sensing the whole Shikon no Tama, and not just a shard of it. Maybe it was more powerful than the other shards, like the core one or something. Then Kagome got an idea. She didn't care how she had a shard in her neck, or why it felt complete, but she knew exactly what she was going to do with it.

 

Kagome took a sharp rock she found nearby on the ground, and dug it into her neck. Using it as a leaver, Kagome pushed the shard out of her neck and into her hand. That didn't stop the pain in her neck like she expected it to, but she didn't care right now. Kagome walked over to Inuyasha's grave and examined it. It looks so different. Like something has been moving around in there. But once again she didn't care. Kagome carefully dug up Inuyasha's grave and pulled his body out. Funny, after over a month in the ground he still looks like he's alive. Silver hair and all. Wait, didn't he turn full human when he died? Oh well.

 

With that, Kagome stuck the jewel shard into Inuyasha's neck and, reaching into the pool of power she once again stored, used the jewel as both an amplifier for her power and an anchor for his soul, attempting to revive Inuyasha. If Naraku can do it, then so can you! With a final burst of energy and pink light, Kagome watched as a white glowing orb flew into Inuyasha, and was rewarded by hearing his first breath.

 

“Ka…go…me?” Inuyasha pushed out breathily.

 

“Oh, Inuyasha! I missed you so much!” Kagome wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. She couldn't believe he was actually back! Now that he was alive, everything would be better.

 

“Kagome, what's all the yelling about? Shouldn't you be getting some…sleep?” Miroku could barely say the last word out of shock from seeing the inu-hanyou alive again. “Inuyasha?” He said in a small voice, “Is that really you?” He just couldn't believe it! Inuyasha was alive?

 

“No bouzu, it's not me, I'm the other Inuyasha.” Inuyasha said, dripping with sarcasm. “OF COUSE IT'S ME, BAKA!!” Yup, this is definitely Inuyasha. Kagome thought happily.

 

“Oh, praise kami! I'll go wake Sango!” With excitement in his voice, Miroku ran to get the said taijiya.

 

“Inuyasha, you don't know how happy I am to see you! I think I was starting to go crazy with guilt; there were so many strange things happening.” Kagome said, still hugging Inuyasha. She didn't want to let him go. She was afraid that if she let him go he might disappear.

 

“That's because you are crazy, baka! But don't worry. Tomorrow we'll go save Shippo and Kirara from Naraku. Remember, the demons he assimilates don't die, they just get attached to him. We can still get them out.”

 

“That's right! I completely forgot! Oh arigato Inuyasha, arigato. Now that you're alive I won't go crazy and everything will be better!”

 

Inuyasha's face grew grim, like he knew something she didn't.

 

“I hope you get the messages I'm sending you, but there's still something that you need to do before everything will get better, you have to wake up!”

 

“What are you talking about Inuyasha!” suddenly the implications of his words hit her full force. “No, this can't be another dream! This is real, I know it is! I can feel it is! Please please please, don't be a dream!”

 

“Kagome, you have to wake up!” Inuyasha said again, louder this time.

 

“You're just having a dream! Wake up, please!” Inuyasha started to shake her.

 

Kagome opened her eyes and found Miroku and Sango standing over her.”

 

“Oh thank kami!” They both sighed in relief.

 

A/N: Well, it's almost over. Just two more chapters and an epilogue, then it's done. Things are going to get even weirder from this point on, but it will all make sense soon…hopefully. Just stick with it and you will be rewarded by an awesome ending. Also, I have recently realized that the lack of reviews might not be due to lazy readers, but the fact that this site is retarded when it comes to accepting reviews. So if you have tried to review but had trouble, what you do is fill out the review like normal, then at the bottom near the “submit review” button, there is a place where it asks you to enter a spam filter code. This is where the problem comes in, and what you need to do is remember that it is case sensitive (so you MUST use capital letters) and it usually doesn't work the first time. If, after you submit the review, the text you wrote is still in the Review/Comment: box, it didn't work, or if you get red letters saying something to the affect of missing information or invalid information or something like that, your review didn't submit and you have to enter the code in again. Sometimes it will take three or four times to work (once it took me ten tries for my review to submit). So just keep trying until it works and you should be fine.

 

Preview of Chapter 7- The Beginning of the End:

 

“NARAKU YOU COWARD!! ARE YOU AFRAID TO FACE ME!! ARE YOU EVEN HERE!?!?” Kagome yelled into the approaching army. Only slightly distracted by the pain in her neck, Kagome started to run towards the approaching army.

 

“Of course I am,” came the cold reply from her left, “I just wanted your friends to have as much fun as we will. Hm hm hm hm hmm.”

 

Kagome quickly changed directions and leapt to her left, towards the sound of his voice. He was 20 feet away and right in her path. Kagome barred her claws and stuck down towards him, but he dodged to the left and her claws hit the ground, leaving a small crater. Kagome recovered just in time to avoid an oncoming tentacle by leaping up and, through an incredible display of flexibility and agility, twisted around in mid-air and used the momentum of her leap to propel herself at Naraku.

 

“Iron reaver soul stealer!” Kagome cried as she fell at Naraku. Naraku pulled the tentacle back into his body, but the action slowed his reaction to Kagome's attack and it made contact with his head. Kagome landed behind him, knowing that the only thing she hit was his pesky baboon pelt. It always gets destroyed before he gets hurt. Sure enough, when she turned around a second after landing he was still there, baboon skin shredded and discarded, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

 

Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku had been having troubles of their own.

 

inuyasha-lovers : I'm glad I could entertain and suspend you.

 

Frozen Miko: Thanks for the compliment; I'm glad I could make you sad ^_^ and I know what you mean. Hopefully my instructions work, but if not oh well. It doesn't bother me too much; I was just a little frustrated that the only person who reviewed in a month was you. And I agree that it's our job to entertain people. I know that at least 23 people are liking my story (that's how many people read the last chapter…so far). But I'm a person who runs off of verbal support (needing to be told that I'm doing a good job to believe it), and the only way I get that is through reviews. But, on FF.Net I have 40 reviews, so it's all good! And now I'm just rambling so I'll stop now by thanking you so being such a faithful reader/reviewer (like I said, people like you mean a lot to me).

 

Until next time…

Akuhonou Ryuu

 

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