InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer The Fray ❯ The Tie That Binds ( Chapter 18 )

[ 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: Read on and enjoy!!!

Reux

"Inuyasha. Put me down."

The hanyou continued to sprint through the brush. "We're almost there, Kagome. Why don't you just wait until-" Her fingers dug painfully into his arms, a soft pulse of her energy brushing along his aura. Inuyasha put on the brakes and dropped her unceremoniously. "There. You're down."

She picked herself up without comment, eyes scanning their surroundings. "Something's hiding close by." She looked up into the trees. There was no mistaking that billowing evil that was pressing against her mind. She'd started to feel it almost a quarter of a mile back, and it had only grown more imposing. She glanced over at Inuyasha. "Do you smell anything strange?"

"Yeah." He was nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he was actually scared to the point his hands shook. Staring back into her uneasy features, he reached across his torso to grip the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "You."

Kagome sneered at him. "Now isn't the time to be a smartass."

Inuyasha didn't blink. "I'm not. You're scent is changing." It raised the fine hairs at the back of his neck the turn her scent had taken. She smelled of evil. The Tetsusaiga began to vibrate under his hand. It wanted to be drawn against her. He stared at the ragged hilt with shocked amber eyes. What the hell is going on?! The vibration was getting worse. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the blade and held it away from Kagome so it pointed behind him. "Tetsusaiga wants me to strike you."

Kagome's eyes widened and moved fearfully to gaze at the enormous fang. "But...I'm human. Tetsusaiga...it...it can't strike down humans."

"It obviously doesn't think you're human anymore."

She scrutinized the ground in rapid, fear-induced thought. The oppressive shadow swirled closer and her eyes darted to his sword. "Inuyasha, swing the Tetsusaiga at me."

He almost choked. "Have you lost your fucking mind?! No way!"

"Inuyasha, just do it."

"No!"

She shuddered with frustration. The sword is right! It knows! "You have to!"

"I won't!"

The wicked aura was suddenly strangling her. Kagome grabbed at her throat and started towards Inuyasha, tapping into her power as she did so. "If you won't do it on your own, then I'll make you!"

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was seeing. Her mahogany eyes were blazing viciously and he stepped back in responsive shock. "Kagome, what are you-" That's when it hit him. The sour cast to her scent was familiar in its evil and he realized where he'd smelled it before. No! Not again! He dove for Kagome. "Kagome!"

She grinned crookedly. "Stupid cur!" Throwing her bow hand into his face, she channeled her energy through the limb and shot it toward him.

The hanyou threw up his arm to shield his face. The fire-rat took the brunt of her attack and he swallowed thickly around the knot in his throat. His arm burned from the pale purple energy, but he ignored it. Inuyasha set his eyes on hers, already feeling the guilt for what he was about to do. His hand clenched on Tetsusaiga and he raised it to a high-guard above his head. He watched her laugh and bring both hands up to face him. She's going to attack again. His ears flattened as she laughed in a very un-Kagome-like way, cackling like a witch. It tore at his heart to see her this way. Clamping his eyes shut to push away her face, he brought down the sword as her power exploded forth. "Forgive me."

The demonic blade and the purifying energy collided, but the Tetsusaiga wasn't rendered powerless. Inuyasha grunted against the strength trying to throw his sword back at him and tried to spy Kagome past the crackling energy crashing into one another. Her body was struggling to remain standing under the might of his blade, her already exhausted legs trembling under the stress. But she wasn't the only one suffering from the friction their powers were creating. Even as his hands began to bleed, he knew he had to keep fighting her. His acute eyesight could see the black streaks slicing through her pure aura, tainting it along with her mind. Her scent was completely blanketed by the sour evil odor. C'mon Kagome! You can beat him! Inuyasha sprang upward spontaneously and yelled alongside the stronger wave of power he shot at her. "Is that all you've got, bitch!"

Her corrupted power flared, slamming back the Tetsusaiga so hard that for a fleeting moment he thought she'd shatter it. He snarled as he battled back. It's not enough. His Inu-youkai watched silently as it waited. Just by hanging there so calmly, Inuyasha knew it wasn't going to try and usurp him. His suspended position above her caused the blood from his lacerated palms to seep down the hilt, drooling down onto the blade. Tetsusaiga pulsed in his grip and Inuyasha dropped the final metal barrier that kept his savage Inu-youkai caged. There was no bestial takeover. The dog simply came forward tranquilly and gave him what he needed. The hanyou felt the vigor permeate his body, slashing his cheeks with pale stripes, elongating his fangs, and bleeding his eyes to red. Moving as one they struck against her together, the demonic blade radiating an illustrious golden glow.

Kagome released an agonized cry as her power gave out, exploding hostilely against the Tetsusaiga and blowing her backward to slam her cruelly into the tree trunk nearly ten feet behind her. Sliding down the rough bark, she whimpered pathetically as her head flopped forward loosely. The elegant short bow clattered to the ground from her limp fingers.

Inuyasha dropped to the ground and bolted over to her unmoving body. Sheathing his fang he felt the dog silently pull away and resume its earlier slumber without protest. It had done what it had needed and kept its promise of good behavior. He felt the changes in his appearance fade, but didn't acknowledge it. He crept closer to Kagome, hesitating to touch her lest she shatter. She'd taken quite the blow- one that would've probably sent him for a loop. Finally it got to be too much and he reached out to touch her arm. A last vestige of her power zapped out to protect her and she moaned loudly. The hanyou discarded his nerves and jerked her drooping frame into his arms. The aura and its accompanying scent lingered and he realized her reasoning at last. Fine tremors ran through her unconscious limbs and were followed by anguished whimpers. Rumbling low in his throat to calm her, he wrapped his arms firmly around her torso and anchored her body to his as he rocked her softly.

He moved his mouth near her ear. "Destroy him, Kagome. Show that bastard Naraku that you can't be handled by him. Waste his ass like I know you can."

"What's taking so long? Shouldn't she be back by now?"

Sango ran her hand down the kit's lengthening ponytail. "Don't worry, Shippo. Kagome's with Inuyasha."

He pouted and crossed his arms. "So?"

She pressed her hand to her mouth to hide her smile. "You and I both know that Inuyasha won't let anything happen to her."

"No, I don't know." He swiveled around from his position on Kirara's broad head. "You saw what he did to her."

She nodded. "Yes, I did." Sango thought silently for a moment and then smiled. "Kagome and Inuyasha have been quarrelsome from the day we met them and I want you to think about something." He looked up at her curiously. "Has Inuyasha ever failed to protect Kagome while they were bickering?"

His answer was automatic. "Yes."

She rolled her eyes. "I meant has he ever not protected her because he was angry with her?"

"Well, no." He frowned. "Not really."

"Then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"What if she can't bring him back?" He scooted down Kirara's neck and stopped beside Sango's hip.

"I wouldn't worry about that either. He'll come back on his own eventually." She ran her fingers through his hair to smooth the tangles a child's hair inevitably gets. "I believe she has an excellent shot of bringing him back though."

"Why?"

She smiled as he lapsed back into his curious former self. "She has determination on her side."

He nodded, the wavy chestnut hair bobbing in time. "Kinda like how you were determined to rehabilitate Miroku's womanizing, right?"

Sango watched her husband stumbled out of the corner of her eye and grinned wryly. You know just what to say, Shippo. "Right." Her violet eyes lingered on the monk's back as they had done with increasing frequency over the past few days. There was a minute rigidity to his movements and if she hadn't been so intimate with him over the last few years, she wouldn't have noticed it. She addressed Shippo without looking at him. "Why don't you practice your scouting skills, Shippo? It'll give you something to do while you wait for Kagome to come back."

The kitsune followed her line of sight and sighed. "You could've just said you wanted some privacy."

She whirled to look at him, her hair tossing back over her shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that." Sango snatched his hands in her own. "I'd never try to get rid of you that way. I just thought some exploring might cheer you up." She smiled warmly at him. "You are a fox after all."

He straightened up and grinned. "That I am. Okay, I'll go wander off," He leapt off the large neko-youkai's back and winked at her. "Out of earshot."

Sango just shook her head. He's really a piece of work. The silence that followed was oppressive. Wanting to speak with him alone had been part of her intention, but initiating conversation suddenly seemed awkward because he'd known what she was up to the entire time. She stared at the distance between them, tapping Kirara twice on her massive shoulder to ask her to stop. "Miroku-"

"You didn't have to send him away. I'm sure I could've handled the subject of your conversation." He continued to stride ahead without noticing that she was no longer following.

The demon-slayer sighed. "Miroku, stop." She slid off the cat's back. "Stop ignoring me."

He looked over his shoulder at her queerly. "Ignoring you?"

"Yes." She smoothed the sage colored work apron tied around her waist. "We've been traveling for almost two weeks and you've only grown more and more distant." She stared at the black material wrapping her hands. "And you've never spoken to me the way you did earlier."

He pivoted and strode toward her. "I was just sharing my opinion, Sango."

"Well, you definitely put me in my place." She hugged herself and looked away forlornly.

Miroku studied her a moment. The pleasant facade she'd worn since breaking camp had crumbled away to leave her face raw with buried hurt. He would have had to be a total fool to see that something was eating her. It was obvious he was the cause, but he wasn't positive of the actual error. "Sango, I would never do that."

"Well, you did." She spat her words out distastefully. "You laid down the law when I said I would've stopped Inuyasha. Gotta make sure the wife doesn't so much as breathe without permission." She snorted. "Gods, Miroku! I never, ever thought you'd make me feel so abashed."

"You're being ridiculous. You know I would never do that to you, Sango. I love you."

Sango hung her head. "It suddenly doesn't feel like it."

Miroku stepped up behind her. "What?"

Her fingers dug into the sleeves of her pale kimono. "Call me spoiled, but I'm used to having you lying beside me when I sleep and constantly looking up to see you watching me. I miss all the whispered touches that I'm sure you think I don't notice." She blinked back quiet tears when he covered one of her clenched hands with his own. "I don't dislike your wandering hands as much as you seem to think I do."

He gripped her tighter. "I thought I was doing you a favor."

"By making me feel totally alone?"

He jerked her back against his chest, his arms locking hers to her side. "I was just trying to protect you. I figured that if I kept my distance it would be easier for you to focus on finding and destroying Naraku." He pressed his cheek to hers, whispering along her smooth skin. "I thought if it was like it was before that you'd be safer without me to distract you."

Sango drew her hands up to lace their fingers together. "Foolish monk, you only succeeded the exact opposite. I haven't even been able to think about demons with you so adamantly aloof. Five years ago I was younger and my priorities were still fixated on Kohaku, but now I'm married. I've caught glimpses of what it could be like when this is finally over." She turned her face to softly kiss his cheek. "I always assumed that being with you made us equals and partners. Then all of a sudden I found myself alone when going it alone will never win against Naraku."

"I didn't want to worry more than you already were. Finding Kohaku is a big enough burden without having to deal with me." He sighed when she relaxed against him. "I know better now. You're my wife and friend and I shouldn't have tried to decide for the both of us when we should be doing it together. Will you forgive one man's presumptuousness?"

"Yes, on the condition that you understand I won't be so lenient the next time."

"Understood."

Kirara, who had been sitting quietly the entire time with Sango's Hiraikotsu slung around her neck, yowled at the both of them. The couple looked up curiously at the sound, watching fastidiously as she sauntered toward them. Slipping around them, Kirara bumped her shoulder into the backs of Miroku's knees, buckling them. They both gave startled gasps as they toppled onto her wide back together. Satisfied, she ignited the flames on her dinner-plate sized paws and went airborne.

Sango recovered first, fisting her hands in the thick, cream colored fur and assisting Miroku into a steadier position. She leaned forward, confident that the monk's hands on her hips would catch her should she slip, and brushed the demon cat's ears. "What's wrong, Kirara?"

Her rumbling response reverberated through their bodies as she soared above the tree line. Both of her passengers stared at the crimson fireball slowly making its way down behind the mountain range. The sunset was breathtakingly vibrant, and yet mildly comforting in its familiarity. It was constant, something to grab onto when everything else in life seemed to be spiraling out of control. Miroku glanced at Kirara's twitching ears. "Did you bring us up here to see this, Kirara?"

Sango hugged the neko's neck. "It's beautiful, Kirara. Thank you." She sighed and laid her cheek on the silken blanket, staring down at the forest. She easily picked out the trail they'd been on from between all the trees and jerked upright when she saw something bright flash across it. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Hm?" Miroku glanced over her shoulder. At first he didn't see anything, but then he too caught the same flash of copper darting between the trees. "That looks like Shippo."

Sango tapped the massive shoulder in front of her. "Kirara, take us down."

The trio sailed down to where they'd all seen the apparition. Miroku jumped off and peered around. "I don't sense anything out of the ordinary."

The youkai- taijiya shouldered her Hiraikotsu with practiced ease and started striding down the path with her neko-youkai partner. "Shippo?" Sango stopped and turned toward the steeply sloped edge. "Shippo, are you out here?"

The shaking of a nearby bush had them both whirling, weapons at the ready. The group was so tense it felt as if the very air itself was holding its breath. A twig snapped and was followed by a string of curses so colorful, it left little to the imagination as to who his sensei was. A few seconds later, the foul-mouth in question emerged from the shrubbery, hurriedly pulling the leaves and dirt from his clothes. He stilled when he realized he wasn't alone, pulling his head up to blink at them slowly. His hands froze mid-leaf-pluck. "Wow, you guys definitely just scared me half to death."

Sango relaxed her grip on the giant bone boomerang. "What are you doing in there?"

He grinned and dashed over to snatch her hand, tugging her towards the dense foliage. "Scouting like you told me too." Shippo was nearly bursting with excitement. "And you'll never guess what I found!"

Miroku bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking at Sango's pleading look. He fell in step behind them. "I won't have to guess if you're going to drag us both to wherever it is."

"Us?" Sango snapped sarcastically.

Miroku nodded. "Yes. We aren't two separate people, but one superbly functioning unit. Right?"

She rolled her violet eyes and mumbled under her breath. "Some parts of this 'unit' aren't going to be functioning in the very near future." She stumbled on a root and just about tumbled down the hill. "Where exactly is this thing you found, Shippo?"

"Just a little farther." He let go of her hand and scampered over a rotten log; he disappeared through a hedge once over it. "Here it is!"

The couple popped through a few moments later sporting a bunch of fresh scratches and mirrored expressions of annoyance. "Here is what?"

Shippo beamed back at them. "The blood trail I found!"

"You've finally regained your voice."

Kagura spared the boy a furtive glance. "It's about time."

Kohaku smiled knowingly as he bent down to inspect a few swirling marks in the sand. The wind witch would never admit it, but he knew by her nonchalant attitude that she was greatly relieved. Standing back up, he pointed to the east. "The tracks head that way."

Kagura reluctantly followed him, tapping her fan on her upper arm with agitation. "This is so tedious. How can you stand doing this day after day?"

He laughed. "Of all people, Kagura, I thought you would be the one to understand."

"Obviously, I don't."
"Obviously." He examined a trampled patch of grass, clearly distinguishing that a sharp hoof had torn up the ground in search of young grass. The deer he was trailing weren't far away. "You and I both know that my life can end any second. I would much rather spend it immersed in nature's beauty than in some secluded cave like a hermit." He glanced at her steadily blank expression. "Wind is an element of nature, right?"

She followed him silently, her footfalls entirely noiseless. "Yes."

"As a youkai of the elements, you should be more tightly bound to nature than any other." He increased the distance between them. A hit from her fan was not something he relished. "And from what I surmised from your speech to Kikyo, I'd say that you really do understand."

Kagura's hand tightened instinctively on her fan and she had to catch herself before unleashing her fury on him. No, Kohaku is not the one I should be attacking. It's that wretched Naraku. Snapping her fan shut angrily, she closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. The boy was right. Her honesty had been uncustomary with Kikyo in hopes of earning her favor, but that didn't make her words any less truthful. Unhindered, she would have assuredly been peacefully content to wander the wilderness. He's taken that away from me! The wind had no boundaries; it was unrestrained and free to follow its own will. Something that uninhibited would die without freedom.

Naraku is killing me.

Unlike his other miscreants, her power was waning. She could feel it in the drag in her body and the weakness in her limbs. Her natural endurance was fading as well. Following Kohaku through the woods would leave her undoubtedly drained and she would be restricted to her bed until morning. And to worsen it further, her wound was taking much too long to heal. Only the deepest layers of tissue had regenerated and she continued to have to bandage it every morning like lowly mortal. Her demonic powers were slowly being stripped away. It seems that if I do not gain my freedom, I'll die anyway. Her lips curled back with disgust. I won't let it end that way! I refuse to wither away like some delicate flower! I'll force him to kill me before I let myself go out that way!

"Kag...ura..."

Her eyes snapped open, concern rapidly replacing her wrath by his distressed call. "Kohaku?"

He was leaning heavily against a tree, sweat pouring off his brow. "I can...feel it. The jewel, it...He's calling her."

She frowned. "Who?"

He grimaced. "Naraku, he's...he's calling to Kagome."

"Kagome?" She watched him pant and blinked with disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"The shard." He started to sag. "He's using it to...to talk to her."

"But she can purify his evil taint! He has no power on her shard!"

Kohaku coughed. "He does...when she's unconscious." He laughed softly as the shock etched into her face. "You didn't know he could do that, did you?" He shrugged over the last of his shudders. "He has the majority of the jewel shards and using the Shikon no Tama's natural powers, he can speak to her when her powers are dormant. How do you think he's been giving me my orders all this time?"

"I thought he could only do that to you because he'd already influenced the shard in your back." She watched him warily.

He shook his head. "He can link up to any of the four remaining jewel shards anytime he wants. He can't influence them with his evil without being in very close proximity." He relaxed as the tension left his body. "It's a trick he learned after his last confrontation with Inuyasha and he's exploited it to no end on Kagome."

"What exactly does that mean?"

Kohaku gripped his Kusari-gama tightly. "It means that he's had these last few years to toy with her emotions without her even realizing it."

"Kohaku..."

The intense pain that webbed through his skull was strong enough to send him to his knees, grasping his head as if to stop it from exploding. The shard in his back throbbed and he debated whether or not to sink the point of his weapon into his back and put an end to it right then. I hate this!

"You wouldn't happen to be fighting me, would you, Kohaku? You know you don't want to be doing that."

His shard pulsated violently, bowing his back and collapsing the limbs holding him up. Kohaku groaned and went still, his energy suddenly spent.

"That's more like the Kohaku I decided to resurrect. You understand obedience so much better than any of my other pets."

Kohaku fisted the dirt. I am not your pet!

"Oh, but you are!" He felt Naraku's laugh all the way down to his bones. "That's why I'm sending you to fetch Kikyo for me."

I won't! Kohaku shook his head, but was silenced by another wave of pulsating pain.

"No more objections! Now, be a good boy and do as you're told."

Kohaku looked up the instant he was gone and saw Kagura's hand hanging tentatively a few inches away. She pulled it back. "What just happened?"

"Naraku sends his regards." He rolled onto his back and stared at the clouds. "He wants Kikyo."

She sighed. "Anything else?"

"No." Slipping to his feet, he strode back toward the village. "Not unless you need another reminder who your master is."

A/N: I just don't give them a moment's peace, do I? Oh, well. Don't worry, you'll find out what's up with Kagome in the next chapter....woohoo! Time for the shout-outs-

Langus: They do have a lot of baggage....and I just keep adding more. They definitely have their work cut out for them. Thanks so much for your amazing review!

deviousauthouress: Thanks for the review!

unistar: Yeah, I'm glad too...because there are many, many things coming up and being estranged just wouldn't be good. I'm so happy you liked it, thanks again!

sakuralovesinuyasha: Aw, thankies. Your words are too kind. I hope you liked this update. Thanks again!

blackr0s3: I'm estatic that you loved it so much, and I'm glad you appreciated the Kagome/Kikyo comparison. I always thought it should have been brought up, so I did it myself. And please, let me know what you're still confused about...I don't want you to stay lost. I want to help...so let me know. I'll make sure to clear up as much confusion as I can. Thank you so much for the wonderful review!

Koolkat191: That's good, I wouldn't want that. Yeah, the fighting only lasts for so long before it gets old. Thanks for the review!

sutlesarcasm: I know exactly what you mean when you say reviewing makes you feel all tongue-tied. I get like that too...I always feel like I'm repeating myself or missing some major compliment. Your encouragement is very inspiring and I deeply appreciate all of your beautiful praise. I am very humbled by it and I would be honored to let you put this fic up in your library. I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy this story until the very end. Thank you so much for your empowering review, it means more than I could possibly say.

Raeko: I know it can get frustrating when they're constantly interrupted- believe me, it drove me insane in the anime/manga.- but I'm sticking as close as I can to the essense of the conflict. I promise it'll all come out in the end, with some big surprises, so just hang in there with me. I'll deliver the goods, I swear it. Thanks again for the review!

sufferingkagome: You're very welcome. Thanks!

Cynbad146: Yeah, I kinda felt bad having them so angsty, so why not throw in a smooch? As for Kagome/Hojo, relax, I am a die hard Inu/Kags fan........so there will be no deaths (maybe), and definitely no pregnancies- I couldn't help a good-natured chuckle at that....I'm sorry. It's okay, I enjoy all your enthusiasm. I always have two chapters waiting in the wings when I update, so sometimes a stray comment or thought by a reviewer will give me an idea...so feel free to totally explore your imagination. And I want you to know that Shunsoke loves you! You always remember to include him and he thanks you! Thanks for the review! Reux.

vkp23: I never really liked Hojo...so I wouldn't worry too much. It's not really his fault, but he always ends up with the crap end of the deal for me. As for the question....hang in there for a little longer. There will be an entire chapter on just that. Thanks again, my friend!

Inulover1253: Hope you liked...thanks.

future author: I hate seeing them apart, so I could only hold out for so long. Thank you so much for the blessing and the review!

Comments from the peanut gallery are warmly welcomed. XD.