InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer The Fray ❯ Mistaken Identity ( Chapter 17 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I hold no claim to InuYasha...Rumiko Takahashi does. Bummer

A/N: I don't believe this one ends with a cliffy...but sometimes I just can't tell. I leave that to your opinion. Read on and enjoy!!!

Reux

She was frozen.

There were a million words dancing on her tongue, all screaming themselves in her mind to be spoken, but nothing came out of her mouth. She just stood there staring at him, knowing he was waiting for her to answer him and being totally unresponsive. It didn't really make for a good impression. Here she was meeting his heavy gaze with her full attention, yet at the same time stubbornly refusing to give him the answer he deserved. It appeared as though she was defying him, which just wasn't the case.

She was still coming to terms with the fact that he'd heard each and every bit of her shameful confession.

But what was really pestering her was her lack of emotional response. At this very moment in time, she was devoid of feeling. There was no wrath or despondency lurking to devour her because one of her biggest apprehensions had come to pass. Kagome watched his scowl carve itself deeper into his scuffed and rugged features, and brazenly smiled. I feel...good!

That smile, however, wasn't received quite as well by the hanyou glaring at her from across the path. "This must all be some big game to you. You're no better than that bastard, Naraku."

Kagome heard him, understood the significance of his insult, but she continued to smile. She'd expected absolute mortification and perhaps intense compunction, but not the giddy relief drawing the tension out of her body. Of course she still regretted it all, but knowing that he knew left her immensely relieved. All that jittery pressure is gone! Her smile lasted until Inuyasha straightened up and surveyed her calmly.

He rested his fists on his hips, tilting the Tetsusaiga's hilt forward with his thumb. "You know what, Kagome?" He clicked his tongue disapprovingly and shrugged. "I don't have time for all this bullshit. I have a youkai to kill." Pivoting on his bare heel, he dashed off.

It took watching him vanish into the woods to snap her out of her stupor. It also managed to click something within her- something that had once been unwavering and grown malleable over time. Kagome felt her resolve solidify and knew she had to act fast. She slipped her thumb and index finger of her right hand into her mouth and whistled shrilly. With an abrupt about-face, she smirked at Sango and Miroku's matched expressions of concern. "I really could have used a hit from either of those weapons you're so fond of bashing people over the head with." She darted past them and slung her quiver over her shoulder, grasping the bow snugly in her hand.

Sango sidled up to her, eyes staring hugely at the rosewood bow. "You're not planning on shooting him, are you?"

Kagome chuckled with amusement. "Oh, no. I don't plan on turning Inuyasha into a hanyou-pin cushion."

Miroku frowned, confused. "Then what are you doing?"

Kagome gently folded the fire-rat haori and tucked it into the quiver. "I'm setting this straight, once and for all. We'll never amount to much good against Naraku if we're not at least on civil terms." She looked around impatiently. "C'mon, what's taking so long?! He'll be miles away by now!"

As if on cue, the sound of thundering hooves rapidly increased, vibrating the ground under their feet. Kirara was the first to appear, soaring up over the hilltop serenely. It made a sharp contrast to the rushing steed below her and the squalling kit clinging to its back. The entire effect was comical and despite their serious moods, each one of them was stifling grins of entertainment.

Kagome stepped into Shunsoke's path and held up her hands. "Easy, boy! Slow down!" The animal perked at the sight of her and skidded to a stop in a cloud of dust. Kagome latched onto his bridle and began to pry the kitsune from his death-grip on the horse's mane. "Let go, Shippo. It's alright now. He's stopped."

Shippo lifted his head and blinked dizzy green eyes. "Thank goodness. I thought I was a goner."

Shunsoke tossed his head and pranced laterally, sensing the urgency in his master. He grunted against the tight hold Kagome had on his face. Kagome jerked Shippo off and plopped him in the dirt. "Sorry, Shippo." She fisted the reins and a hank of the dapple gray's mane, following his nervous spin with small hops.

"Don't you need your saddle?"

Kagome used the momentum of Shunsoke's spin to help her pull herself up, bad shoulder and all, springing off the ground and straddling his broad, spotted back. She took hold of the reins and asserted a semblance of control on the high-strung animal. She glanced at Miroku. "Nope."

Sango scooped up the dazed kit before he was accidentally trampled. "When will you be back?"

Kagome directed Shunsoke into a tight circle to keep him occupied. "I don't know. You guys should go on ahead and we'll catch up to you." She smiled at them. "See you soon." Hauling on the coiled-spring of a horse, his tail wind-milling in anticipation of her cue, and pointing him in Inuyasha's direction, Kagome released her hold on his mouth and gigged him with her heels. "Hyah!"

Miroku watched as the horse exploded from a standstill, blazing a path over the grass like a bolt of lightning had been shot under his tail. He held his chin in thought. "Did you notice as well, Sango, that she said 'we'?"

She nodded as she stroked her long fingers along Kirara's enormous head. "Yes."

"Do you think she'll be able to get him to come back?"

Sango set the groggy kit on the feline's withers. "It sounded to me like he's coming back regardless"

The Houshi watched the quickly dimming speck that was Kagome. "I think I'll have to agree, and with an animal like that I'm sure she'll catch him soon. Shunsoke seems to be unnaturally fast."

Shippo squirmed away from Sango's supporting hands and tried to sit up. He only accomplished sprawling backwards onto Kirara's back like a rag doll. "You got that right."

He had no clue where he was going, but he was definitely on his way there. He was only consciously aware of the fact he was running through the dense woods and that was all he could do to ignore the incessant whining of his Inu-youkai. He hated when it did that. It always reminded him of when he had cried as a pup after his mother's death. Back then he'd cried almost every day when the sun finally set and left him alone in the dark.

Why do those memories have to come back now? What's happening now had nothing to do with my mother! Inuyasha grabbed his head in frustration, narrowly avoided colliding with a tree, and slowed his step.

"...that Hojo might help me forget."

His eyes squinted in concentration as he sifted through all the names and faces he'd met over the years. There were only two named Hojo. He was willing to bet that the one she was referring to was the bumbling fool always bringing her gifts. He began growling without even realizing it, egged on by the dog pacing deep within him. "What the hell was she thinking to even consider that pansy-ass son of a bitch? A dope like that couldn't possibly be able to take care of her." By now he was no longer sprinting through the trees, but marching through the foliage as if on his way into battle. "Kagome's too much for him to handle anyway. It's no wonder she came back."

His dog gave him a very hyena-esqe, laughing bark in response.

Inuyasha finally stopped moving. "You're right. She came back to fight Naraku. That's the only reason."

"That's where you're wrong."

He whipped around and came face to face with Shunsoke, the horse from hell. Looking up, he met Kagome's staid eyes with fulsome ones of his own. She shouldn't have been able to catch him so off guard. He was spending way too much time canoodling around inside his brain. Being this careless is a great way to get myself killed! Glaring at the pair, he tasted the bitterness welling up out of his throat like acid. Emotions he didn't want to contemplate had his dog howling and that was something he wasn't in the mood for. I could take a page from Kagome's book... He gave her a feral smirk and high-tailed it.

Kagome's mouth dropped. "Inuyasha!" Being snubbed had not been on her list of expectations. She was suddenly furious. Fulminatory anger and profound hurt, sure, but not that kind of cheeky rebuke he'd given just now. She knew he knew damn well that she intended to make amends and the imbecile had the nerve to mock her? Shaking with rage, she jabbed her heels into Shunsoke's ribs and gave chase. "You want to play games, Dog Boy? Fine by me!"

Her thighs started to burn immediately. It had been a rough ride to catch up with Inuyasha to begin with and she doubted he was going to go easy on her. It had been a long time since she'd last ridden a galloping horse bareback and never for such an extended length of time. She had to give credit to all those Native Americans in the black and white American westerns her Jii-chan was so fond of. They always made it seem so effortless, when she knew it was anything but. She was benefited by Shunsoke's smooth stride, but the terrain was horrendous. It took all her fine muscle control to stay balanced on the snapping muscles of his back.

Shutting it out, she focused her attention on steering him through the tightly woven trees. It was easier than it sounded. As long as she kept her eye on the fleeing hanyou, Shunsoke followed her line of sight instinctively. Inuyasha was deliberately making it hard on her. It seemed he had to find every rut and ditch in the entire forest. The small leaping and hopping adjustments Shunsoke had to make to compensate were troubling to stay with, but Kagome was determined to catch Inuyasha. If he thinks I'll let this mess drag on, he's got another thing coming.

She blocked out the tightening of her shoulder as she shortened her reins, leaning forward and pressing her hands into his neck. Holding the reins and her bow was a challenge, her sweat making her grip slick. Kagome ignored that too. There were more important things for her to worry about- like the fallen tree blocking their path up ahead. That was sneaky of him. It wasn't a small tree either; it was close to three feet high by her estimation. The height wasn't an issue for her- she'd done higher- but she wasn't sure what Shunsoke would do. As the log loomed closer, she started to back him off. "We'll have to go around, Shunsoke." But the horse wouldn't have it. He locked his jaw around the bit and barreled down to the log. Kagome felt her body tense and held her breath. Oh gods, he's going for it! She readied herself for an abrupt stop, but he didn't, crouching for the leap upward. Kagome locked her legs against his sweaty hide and held on as best she could. His trajectory was flatter than she expected, rocketing him across the log rather than over it.

The experience was exhilarating, or at least until both of them saw the drop on the other side. Kagome felt him start to descend and sat up, letting the reins slide through her fingers to stop from painfully cutting into his mouth as he stretched his head down to balance the fall. He stumbled as he started away, pitching her forward onto his neck. She clung to him desperately when her muscles started to fatigue. Kagome forced herself back up, snatched back her reins and tugged him into a settled gait. The trees had thinned out into a small clearing and as Shunsoke cantered out into the chest-high grass, Kagome tried something she'd never done before.

She dropped the reins on the running horse's neck and raised her bow.

Inuyasha had slowed to see if she was serious about coming after him. He had been sure the log would've been too much, but once again she'd proven him wrong. He had no clue she was so skilled- or that her horse was so bold. His heart had jumped into his throat when the hell horse stumbled, nearly tossing her off its back. The wave of panic disappeared when she sat up, her face etched with fierce determination to catch him. Inuyasha took that as his cue to skedaddle.

Kagome saw him turn and jerked an arrow from her quiver, squeezing painful tears out of her eyes as she used every last bit of her strength to stay on the horse's back. Her shoulder shrieked with fiery pain when she set the arrow and pulled back the string. Glaring at the retreating hanyou, she let it fly. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha's Inu-youkai had him reeling to face her, flashing back to the shout that had preceded his unfortunate fifty-year slumber. Only this time the arrow missed its mark, sinking into the tree trunk not three inches from his head. The sight of it wagging made him dart his wary gaze to the girl tumbling off the suddenly still horse. She vanished into the tall grass with a dull thud. Inuyasha jumped into motion. "Kagome?"

The girl in question lay curled in a ball, her quiver digging painfully into her back. The muscles in all four of her limbs were trembling with exhaustion, but her shoulder was the worst. It wouldn't move. Kicking her feet until she could coordinate them enough to push her along, she used her good arm to sit up. Shunsoke blew loudly out of his flaring nostrils as the hanyou approached and she slapped a hand through the grass at him. "Knock it off."

"Kagome?"

"I'm alright, Inuyasha. Just let me sit here for a minute until the pain goes away."

He stared down at her with utter disbelief. "You are absolutely fucking insane."

She galled him with a brilliant smile. "Am I?"

"Yeah, a bona fide fucking whacko." His restless energy got the better of him and he started to wade a path in the rippling grass. "Did you have fun putting yourself through all that shit?"

Kagome hesitated a moment before answering, not entirely positive what 'shit' he was referring to. Judging from the lack of intensity in his indignant expression, she ventured to guess he meant her cavalry charge. "Yes, I did." She nodded and then gave a lopsided shrug. "In an adrenaline junkie sorta way, of course." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the log's direction. "I've done stuff like that before."

"Keh. Why?"

"Well, I..." She'd never really thought about it before. "Subconsciously I guess there just wasn't enough danger in my normal life, so I made sure there was."

"You can be so fucking stupid."

Kagome followed him with her eyes as he went back and forth. For once she didn't find herself itching to stop him, content to let him walk off both of their frustration. Inuyasha was an inherent fidget, so the oddly frantic therapy was just something he did to relieve stress. His behavior seemed amplified though, and she sighed. Yet another symptom caused by my absence. She could see his mouth moving, mumbling under his breath, and decided to bring the silence to an end.

"Inuyasha? Why did you avoid Kikyo?"

The hanyou's even stride fumbled as he queried her with his face. "What?"

"I know your little dog ears heard me."

He grumbled. "You want to know why I avoided Kikyo? Fine." He was clueless as to why she was bringing the undead miko in the mix. Kikyo only made things between them more complicated. "Because every time I saw that crazy bitch's face I saw you crying and spouting some 'in time' bullshit that I still don't fucking understand."

"Reminding you of me made you angry." Kagome nodded in total agreement.

"Well, gee-fucking-whiz! I wonder why that is?"

The miko pursed her lips. "Don't get pissy. I'm trying to be serious."

"So am I!" He bent over to snarl in her face. "I was completely willing to kill her a second time...for real."

Kagome thought about Kikyo's behavior nearly two weeks ago. The venom in the miko's expression was incomparable to anything she'd ever experienced before- even Naraku. "No wonder she tried to kill me." She yelped as he hoisted her up off the ground. Her head rolled back, eyes pinched shut with discomfort, and groaned heatedly. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

He gave her a gentle shake. "Shut your trap and tell me who tried to snuff you."

She wormed out of his grip, rolling and massaging her shoulder. "The others may believe your 'play dumb' routine, but I don't. You're not even a quarter of how stupid you act."

His eyes stared at her emptily. "Finished?" Inuyasha smirked when she crossed her arms and huffed. Somehow it didn't seem odd to him at all that he wasn't on the verge of a catastrophic eruption. He was light-years away from jumping for joy though, finding it was more practical to suffer through it until he came face to face with the woman he currently despised. He watched as she struggled to release the throbbing bundle of scar tissue and reached out to softly grasp her shoulders. Turning her away, he worked his hand against the knot. "So when did she attack you?"

Kagome's chin dropped to rest against her collarbone, chewing her lower lip. "About twen-ah, twenty minutes after I got back-ooh, here." Inuyasha's hands stilled on her haori and she frowned. "I think she was waiting for me."

"How could she know when?"

She spun around wagging the Sacred Jewel shard between her fingers. "This," She shifted her hand in a wishy-washy gesture. "And possibly the fact that we share a soul." Her fingers suddenly tightened into a fist. "Inuyasha, you must understand that Kikyo and I are two different people."

"You've reiterated that to me a million fucking times, wench!"

"You think you do, but you don't. You just see two different faces, smell two different scents, and hear two different voices. Underneath the exteriors, we're essentially the same in your mind. You've always expected me to be like her...before." She dropped her eyes to his rosary. "When you still loved her."

"What the fuck are you babbling about?!" He cracked his knuckles involuntarily as he saw her fingers twitch around the jewel. "You have always been Kagome to me. Nobody else."

Kagome brushed past him abruptly, her face a doleful mask. "I'm going to tell you some things that you'll most likely scoff at." Her quivering legs were reluctant to obey her, causing her to trip repeatedly. She shook her head vainly and continued her slow trudge. "You're not going to like what I say, but maybe it'll help you understand."

Inuyasha wanted to strangle her at the moment. She's getting as bad as my shithead sibling with all her vagueness. He started to growl in earnest. And it's not like she's had anything pleasant to say, either. He thought back to her monologue earlier.

"...might help me forget."

Nope. Nothing warm and fuzzy about that. "Understand what?"

She paused at the foot of the tree sporting her arrow. Kagome latched onto it and pulled it free. "Why I was afraid to tell you all that, especially about Hojo."

He couldn't hold off his bristling reflex. Just as with Koga, his Inu-youkai regarded any other male as a rival. He shook it off. He's not here, so there's nothing to worry about. "Alright, tell me."

Kagome gave him a proud smile and held up the arrow to assure its straightness. It was, so she dropped it back into her quiver. "Between all the stories from Kaede and the villagers, and my personal experiences with her, I understand how pure Kikyo was. She was the epitome of what a miko is, in all aspects. She was entirely self- sacrificing for anyone and everyone." She sighed. "And then I showed up and was expected to fill every nook and cranny of her incredibly large shoes. I had to somehow replace perfection with my flaws."

"Kikyo had flaws." He followed her path through the grass and stopped beside her.

"I'm talking about the Pre-Naraku Kikyo, the one that healed the most wicked soul in existence and bore him no grudge." She grasped her bow with both hands with white knuckles. "I would've left him to die, and I would've given up my duty for love." She met his surprised eyes. "I bet you figured I'd be diligent like her."

Inuyasha saw how upset she was getting, knew she didn't know her face was on the brink of tears, and gave into his temptation. His claws brushed against her hair and he ran his hand down her silken braid, curling the tail around his fingers. "No."

"Liar." She smirked, but it was fleeting. Glancing at the object in her hand, she offered it to his gaze. "The first time you compared me to her was with this. We were chasing down that crow demon and you wanted me to shoot it down. I couldn't do it because I'd never shot an arrow in my entire life, but you expected me to be a master like Kikyo."

He did remember that. He shrugged. "That was one time."

"Perhaps, but at the time it didn't bother me because I didn't care so much of what you thought of me. That changed over time too, mostly after I found myself facing Kikyo for real. Then I was suddenly an abysmal archer and a spiritual greenhorn with absolutely no knowledge of demons or the jewel I'm supposed to be protecting."

She was starting to sound distraught again and it bothered him. The hand holding her braid slid over to grasp her shoulders as he easily scooped her up bridal-style. This time she didn't protest, just leaning her head against his bicep as she sagged with exhaustion. "Why don't we catch up with the others? I know you have more you want to tell me, but it's getting dark. I don't want to leave the others alone."

"You already know what I'm going to say." She raised her empty right hand to wrap around one of the locks of silver hair that hung forward. It made him look down at her with a brooding expression. "Don't you?"

He broke eye contact with her and looked over at her horse. He didn't know exactly, but he figured he was pretty darn close. I think I've known if from the beginning. Swimming somewhere deep in his subconscious was the knowledge he didn't want to accept, the knowledge that said, quite possibly, that he was to blame for her depature. He pulled her closer and rested his chin on her crown when she pressed herself tighter to his chest. "I get the gist. Is that a good enough answer to get you to be quiet?"

Kagome smiled at how his usual brash speech had grown so gentle. It was obvious he grasped the fact that there was baggage between them, but wasn't ready to talk about it just yet. She felt the conflict swirling in his aura and gave his hair a soft tug. "Only if you promise to come to me when you're ready and that we'll be civil in the interim."

He gave her a squeeze of agreement. "I'm not mad anymore. I can't stay mad at you when I'm really angry with myself."

"Inuyasha..." She brushed his cheek with her knuckles.

"I'm not finished, Kagome. I promise that I won't do what I did to you again. I shouldn't be attacking one of the few allies I have left."

She couldn't control herself anymore. Dropping her bow, she wrapped both arms around his neck and sat up in his arms. Freeing one hand, she grasped his chin and pulled his scowling countenance until he was staring down at her with puzzlement. He looks so sad... Kagome smiled shyly and easily reached up to press her lips against his. She resisted her gut-clench reaction to pull back when he stiffened, continuing to gently kiss him. Her heart beat wildly, waiting for him to respond and swelled happily when he finally did.

It was even better than he remembered and twice as sweet as he'd experienced in his dreams. His arm curled tighter around her shoulders as he let her feet drop to the ground, making sure he didn't break contact for an instant. Pressing back against her pliant lips, he ran his tongue along her lower lip and she instantly opened up to him. His eyes opened with surprise as she boldly stood up on her tiptoes to push back and adventurously explored the recesses of his mouth. Smirking slightly, he followed suit and reveled in the sweet flavor of her mouth, catching the faint tang of her noon meal. Their tongues dueled against one another until she drew hers along his teeth, finally pulling back to breathe. His eyes watched her closely. "What was that for?"

She grinned stupidly. "Apology accepted."

The wind tousled his hair as he began to speak, and brought with it a smell that snapped his back straight and crushed Kagome painfully tight against him. "Shit."

She knew there was something in the air that only he could detect. Judging by his reaction, it wasn't a good thing. "What is it, Inuyasha? What do you smell?" Her euphoria was now drowning with dread.

He began to growl- loudly. "Blood. A woman's blood and it's not far from here."

Kagome broke out of his embrace, snatched up her bow and walked behind him, hopping onto his back when he crouched down. "Let's go."

A/N: Review Responses- Yay! This is my first fic to hit 100 reviews! Gah, I'm so excited! I read all these amazing reviews and literally went on a three hour writing binge...at around 2 AM. I love each and every one of you! Thanks! Oh, and check out my profile if you want more info on me...or maybe to see if I left a treat about this fic there.

Langus: Sorry, but evil cliffhangers just come standard in the wacky author playset...haha. Thanks for the blessing and the review!

blackr0s3: Wow, so many positive adjectives! You're enthusiasm is absolutely contagious...and I hope some of your confusion has been remedied. Thanks again, my friend!

Sassa: I totally agree, but I have a natural tendency to want to torture characters. I don't know why, but it just seems more natural that way. I'm so happy you've enjoyed it, thanks for the review!

unistar: I hope this answered some of the questions. I love each and every character in their own way and including them in the fic is my way of showing appreciation. Thanks again!

Inulover1253: Thanks, I will!

musicmuse18: I'm glad somebody likes them..hehe. Thanks so much!

hikari suzume: I'm so pleased that you considered my fic worthy and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read it.

Cynbad146: Aw, thanks. I think I might have actually blushed when I read your review...my mother raised me to be modest..hehe. I always enjoyed seeing the characters going through the mental motions, so to speak, so I love to indulge myself in that aspect. And Inuyasha hiding behind the tree? That was completely spontaneous, just popping in my head from out of nowhere. I had no idea if it was characteristic, but I guess I did alright considering the positive feedback. Thank you once again for all the praise...I am humbled. R.

deviousauthoress1: Thanks so much! I glad you like it.

Fookie: I'm really flattered that you actually took the time to read this all in one shot...well, almost anyway. And you had a dream about it?! Wow, I thought I was the only one that did that... I'm glad you're on board with all my lovable angst. In my opinion, it's human nature to muddle everything up before it comes together...at least in my experience. Thanks for the gushing review.

Inulover1253: Oh, I will. Thanks for both enthusiastic reviews.

krymson258: That's something I'm very adamant about...so don't fret. Thanks so much for reviewing!

Raeko: I hope this met up to your amazing visual...haha. I'm so happy you like it so much...it just makes my day. Thanks again for the wonderful review.

Koolkat191: I hope this gave you the semblence of a conclusion...I'm not ready to conclude it yet myself. I really hope I didn't kill you, so thanks for the review!

LiL Elf: Thank you very much. I hope you enjoyed this update.

Just to mention it, my computer and I had a major disagreement on whether 'skedaddle' was a word or not. So, I dug out my trusty Webster's Dictionary...and lo and behold, 'Skedaddle: To flee in haste.' Vindication never tasted so good. There's no need to point it out, I know I'm insane. I know I still left stuff unresolved, but at least they aren't fighting anymore. Do I get points for that? Comments from the peanut gallery are warmly welcomed. XD.