InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer The Fray ❯ Reminiscing ( Chapter 19 )

[ 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: Hello everyone, just a reminder that Kagome is still unconscious- hopefully that'll help with any confusion.

Now, as for me, I've decided to seek the help of a beta because I've gone back over this fic and found numerous errors here and there, and to possibly help me make sure I stay on track. I have a habit of wandering sometimes. Anyway, if any of you would like to seriously try your hand at betaing my work- with all the sneak peeks- please just send me an email. My address is on my profile, so feel free to message away. Other than that, I've also started a communitely on LiveJournal for my fics because I felt like I needed a better place to truly respond to each of my reviewers. It'll also have notes posted on my progress, and if anyone has something they want to ask or discuss...have at it. I'll be more than happy to oblige. Feel free to join too...the more the merrier!

Here's the link- http:// community. livejournal. com/ reux_fiction/ ....just delete the spaces and you're set.

So, a new page and a request for a beta....otherwise, read on and enjoy the early update!

Reux

"Oh gods..." Kagome pressed a hand to her forehead. "Did anyone catch the number of that bus?" It felt like someone was trying to cleave her cranium with a chisel. She was lying flat on her back at the base of an enormous tree. She squinted at the gnarled branches. "I remember hitting a tree just like this one." She rolled her head to look around her and recognized the small glen with its moss-draped elms as the one she'd come to with Inuyasha. She swallowed. "That's right. Inuyasha used the Tetsusaiga against me."

She shut her eyes to combat the pain dancing behind her forehead. I'm just recovering from his attack. A chill raced up her arms and she frowned. It wasn't cold though... Cracking her eyes for a look, she blinked at the heavy mist clouding her surroundings. "There wasn't any fog." A twinge of fear edged into her mind. "If I'm in that glen, then where is Inuyasha? He should be here with me." She sat up quickly, weaving from side to side with an attack of vertigo. "Where?" Kagome grimaced through the spurts of laser-like pain darting through her head. "Where...is Inuyasha?"

"Oh, right over here!"

Kagome looked to her right in the direction of the jubilant cry. Her mouth actually dropped when she saw who was standing amongst the fog. "You!"

Her imposter smiled brilliantly at her through the mist. "Hello again, Kagome."

She gingerly stood up and surveyed the girl opposite her. The pseudo-Kagome was dressed in her old school uniform and looking entirely too perky. Kagome took a deep breath and met her living reflection with guarded brown eyes. "I distinctly remember asking who the hell you were the last time we met."

The clone nodded. "That's right."

"Well?"

She grinned again. "No, I'm not going to tell you yet. It would spoil all the fun."

"I doubt that whatever you're planning should be considered 'fun'."

Her double frowned. "Damn, you're just too uptight." She sighed. "I guess that's to be expected after what I've done to you."

Kagome stilled. "What you've done to me? What are you talking about?"

"We'll get to that too, but first I want to ask you a question." She looked down at the dog-eared head held up by her right arm. "Why did you leave Inuyasha?"

Kagome clenched a fist as her heart sped into overdrive. "Let him go!"

The girl shook her head and tightened the choke-hold she had on the obviously unconscious hanyou. "Not until you answer my question."

The miko watched Inuyasha grimace painfully and weakly try to pry the arm loose. Kagome was moving before she realized it, storming across the misty ground angrily. She grabbed the other woman's wrist roughly. "I said let him go!"

Her phantom twin jerked free and effortlessly threw the hanyou into her. "You're a demanding little wench."

Kagome hadn't expected to have him thrown at her and caught him as best she could. Her antagonist had made him seem like a feather-weight, but Inuyasha was anything but light. She cradled his head and neck with her arms and could do nothing else but break both of their falls. The ground was more forgiving than she anticipated, but still hard, and his lack of momentum made the impact much kinder than it could have been had there been more distance between them. The majority of his weight fell on her legs, but she managed to stop his head from contacting the ground, using her body as a cushion. Kagome eased her legs out from under him and laid his head down on the thick grass, pausing to brush his bangs out of his face and place a soft kiss on his forehead. Slipping to her feet, she turned back to the woman.

She glared at herself with narrowed mahogany eyes. Stepping around the incapacitated hanyou, she blocked him from view. "I'm only going to ask you one more time." The venom in her tone surprised her. "Who the fuck are you?"

She snickered. "And what do you plan to do if I don't tell you?"

Kagome smirked crookedly. "This." Darting forward, she jerked back her right arm and threw her fist into her imposter's face.

She stumbled back cradling her face. She managed to glare through watering eyes. "Cute trick." Her voice was muffled. "Where'd you learn that?"

Kagome shook her hand to relieve the sting in her knuckles. She's definitely not a ghost. There are bones under her flesh. "You can thank Inuyasha for that one."

The artificial brown eyes flashed. "Yes." She pulled her hands away and stared at the blood coating them. "That hanyou always was a savage brute." She flicked her eyes back to the true miko. "Alright, I'll tell you. Besides," She swiped the blood from her face. "I can't wait to see your face when I do."

"I could find no survivors, Milord. They're all dead."

Sesshomaru surveyed the ransacked village. It seems Hakudoshi was serious. Naraku really did intend to attack his father's lands. He glanced at the chewed corpses strewn across the trodden dirt. As of yet, it appeared that only mortals had been targeted. He turned away and strode past Jaken. "Let us go."

"Yes, Milord." The imp followed humbly.

This was the third village to fall victim to a horde of primitive demons- Naraku's favorite tool. The Western Lands of Inu no Taisho were vast, so much so that along their borders was a number of ningen villages. During his father's reign they went without persecution from youkai and human alike, all protected by the Dai-youkai. After his premature death that protection had vanished, leaving them all to fend for themselves. The first decade or so, the legend of Inu no Taisho was enough to keep the threats at bay, but that faded with time as well. It wasn't long before they were as vulnerable as any other village.

Sesshomaru stalked past the burned out husk of a hut, catching the scent of charred flesh in the air. He knew he wasn't feeling rage because of their deaths. He was angry because a worthless youkai had dared to mock his sire. He, as his father's son, was the only one allowed to rule here- that included whether or not these mortals continued to survive. Killing the humans his father had sworn to protect was a slap to his face. For years he had forgone killing these very same people on principle alone, but now he knew that he would not have done it anyway.

Never one to hold back a killing blow, he found himself consistently sparing the mortals in his grip. All because of one girl. He'd apparently inherited his father's one weakness.

Leaving the death and destruction behind, he traversed the wilderness from memory. The scenery had changed somewhat over time, but the land beneath it was the same. It was only a few hours before he came to the border. There was no physical marker. Only the faint trace of his aura remained from when he'd marked it all those years ago. After inheriting the Lands, he'd had to cover his father's mark with his own. It had taken him days, but he reinforced the border with his blood exactly as his father had shown him as a pup.

The border is weak. I have been absent from this land for too long. Stopping, he stared at the ground.

Jaken gazed at him with concern. "What is it, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Without answering, he raised his arm and held out a fist. His expression watching neutrally, he clenched the fist tighter until he felt his claws pierce his palm. He relaxed the limb as his rich blood seeped through his fingers and dripped to the ground. The droplets spattered across the earth haphazardly, oozing into the dirt with a flash of blue light. The glare spread quickly in a domino-effect, high-lighting the invisible border of the Western Lands.

Jaken stumbled backwards, gasping with awe. "Oh, Milord..."

He opened his palm and watched the dark fluid drool from the self-inflicted wounds. The power of the border lies within my blood. The glowing line zigzagging through the woods twinkled as proof. There was only one more step to make sure those he considered unwelcome stayed out. Crouching, he turned the bloodied palm and pressed it to the line. An instantaneous shockwave pulsated beneath their feet and shuddered the trees around them to the point a few of the weaker ones were uprooted. Withstanding the last of the quakes, he straightened up as the glowing cerulean line faded back into nothingness. "The border of the Western Lands has been restored."

"Very impressive, Lord Sesshomaru. Now nothing will be able to attack your Lands." Jaken clung to his staff, using it to regain his footing.

"No." Sesshomaru flexed the claws of his still bleeding hand. "It will only hold off what is not already within the border." He strode over the invisible marker and entered his domain. "Those that attacked the village are already here."

"Does that mean Naraku's underling has laid siege to your fortress?"

The Inu-youkai stilled. That scent... Scanning the dense woodlands, he scrutinized each and every leaf and twig in turn. There is a sign, but where?

"Milord?"

Sesshomaru threw out his arm, slinging blood onto the imp's suddenly cowering face. "Quiet."

He shivered and ducked behind the tail of his master's enormous ruff. "Yes, Milord."

Where is it? Glancing to his right, he stared at a pair of pines set nearly on top of one another. His tourmaline eyes narrowed. There, its right there. Walking over to the trees, his eyes grazed slowly down their trunks and zeroed in on the discrepancy that had caught his attention. What had first appeared to be the natural fungi growing on the trunks was, in fact, dragon scales.

They were drenched with congealed blood.

Sesshomaru's jaw tightened. The source of the scent. Moving closer, he ran his claws through the darkened, syrup-like substance. "It is still warm."

Jaken peered out with a frown. "Dragon scales?" He blinked a few times and then gasped. "Ah-Un!"

With the imp clinging to his fur stole, Sesshomaru followed the scent through the brush. The further into his territory he went, the more signs of battle popped up. Decaying demon corpses were strewn about between stark interruptions in the terrain. The cause was well known to him. There was only one kind of blast that made such marks. Ah-Un battled here, but was unsuccessful.

After parting with Rin, he had ordered the dragon back here to stand guard. Which he had done... Sesshomaru leapt through a ragged trench in the earth and stopped on the outskirts on a small glen. The scent of Ah-Un's blood was strongest here. He strode between the trees and stilled at the sight before him. ...At the cost of his life.

The twin-headed dragon lay on his side, the pool of blood around his body staining the soft grass crimson. Vicious wounds scored his armored hide, much of his flesh torn and ragged. The awkward angle of Un's neck told of his demise. Sesshomaru stared at the lifeless carcass of his loyal companion, a creature that had befriended him since birth and knelt down beside the dragon. "Ah-Un." He shut his eyes and sighed.

Jaken glanced nervously between the two, lingering curiously on the fallen dragon. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and blinked some more. "Lord Sesshomaru, Ah-Un..."

The dog demon opened his eyes slowly, eyeing the corpse cautiously. Something is off about him. The dragon smelled of death, and consequently, life as well. A minute movement caught his attention and he focused on the body. There. It was unnoticeable to a weaker eye, but the dragon's ribcage was expanding shallowly. Sesshomaru turned to the animal's heads. He lives because one of his heads is still alive. Even as the thought occurred to him, Ah's head emitted a pained growl.

"Ah-Un is alive!" Jaken gaped as the dragon lifted its remaining head and rested it on the Dai-youkai's knee.

Sesshomaru placed his hand on the dying dragon's head. "You are sustaining life for the both of you." Ah opened his jaw and rumbled, his eyes shifting shut. Sesshomaru lifted his limp head and laid it beside its partner. "His strength is waning. Soon he will die."

Jaken whimpered. "Oh, Ah-Un." He turned toward Sesshomaru and gasped at the sight. "Milord, the Tenseiga..."

The blade radiated like a glinting sapphire in his grip, angling out over the dying dragon's body. I will restore you, Ah-Un. Tilting the blade, he focused as the air around Ah-Un grew clouded. Suddenly he could see them crawling over the animal's hide like parasites. Striking down at the dragon, the workers of the underworld perished and released the body from their grasp. Tenseiga calmed, losing its aura, and Sesshomaru slid it smoothly back into its sheath. "Rise, Ah-Un."

The neutral-toned hide of the dragon quivered and shuddered as he lurched to his feet. Both of his enormous heads slithered to life, eyes snapping open and training themselves on the tall youkai standing before him. Ah-Un flicked his massive tail, slinging off copious amounts of dead flesh- both his and his victims'- and bellowed harmoniously. Rising before the Dai-youkai, he gave his renewed flesh a vigorous shake to dispel the last of the filth coating his gigantic frame. Finished, he came forward with his heads bowed.

Sesshomaru held out his hand, pleased when the docile dragon pressed his muzzles again his palm with placation. "Ah-Un, your efforts here have been acknowledged. You have done well." The dragon hissed softly, pulling to blink at him patiently. Sesshomaru turned his head up to stare at the darkening sky, slowly returning his gaze to the devoted creature watching him expectantly. "I have a task for you."

Kagome told herself to stay calm. Irrational rage never helped anyone accomplish anything. It was something Mama Higurashi had taught her from the time of her first temper tantrum as a toddler. Since then, those words had always managed to influence her back to reality. They were what kept her such an amiable, forgiving person. She was, without a doubt, a product of her raising.

But as she stared at the grinning figure wearing her face, Kagome decided that maybe, just maybe, her mother wasn't always right.

I'm sorry Mama, but I can't stand being taunted like this. The longer she stood watching her, the more sure she became that these most recent visits were not their first meetings. It wasn't so much the human manifestation of her, but the way she thought and spoke. The mannerisms were familiar, as if they were age old friends that no time or distance could come between. She felt as if she could predict what would spew out of her mouth next.

"So, you want to know who I am." The schoolgirl ruffled her hair absently. "It's so obvious that I thought you would've caught on by now. Simply put, I'm the embodiment of all the unsavory aspects of your heart."

Kagome swallowed thickly, grimacing at how parched her throat had gotten. She couldn't say she hadn't expected that; she'd been exploring that avenue herself. It was her sudden physical appearance that gnawed at her. "I get that, but why haven't we met earlier?"

"That's the rich, juicy center of it." She grinned fraudulently. "Someone with colossal generosity gave me the power to come alive."

Some...one? Kagome felt like her stomach had dropped out of her body. Her hardened exterior began to falter, her lower lip trembling softly. She knew what she was going to say, knew it with every quavering fiber in her body. The gloom of the fog swirled tighter around her, enveloping her in a cold so foreboding it could freeze her soul solid. "No, it can't be. It's not..." Her voice died to a whisper. "...possible."

"Oh," Her despicable side strode over and patted her head like she was a petulant child being reprimanded. "You've known all along haven't you?" She crooned gently as she pulled a very lethargic Kagome into her arms. "There, there now. No need to get upset about it."

Kagome's skin crawled. All her instincts were screaming at her to get away, to scrub herself clean until her skin bled away the taint he'd filled her with. He'd manipulated the most precious part of her- her heart. He'd taken it, dissected it, and manifested all the small, molding, and rotten pieces of it into the body currently holding her to its bosom. Kagome felt naked. Her worst enemy had torn away her shell, baring all her vulnerabilities to his viewing pleasure. That exposure drove her to want to seek shelter and feebly cover herself in an attempt to mourn. Tears leaked out of her unblinking eyes as her mouth formed silent, incoherent words.

The sinister girl cradling her shaking frame set her away, the tight grip on her shoulders the only reason she wasn't pooled on the ground in a tangle of limbs. "This is so sad. You know you can't blame anyone but yourself. Where else would Naraku have gotten all those lovely raw materials to make moi?"

Kagome blinked at the sound of his name, managing to focus her dulled vision on the girl jeering at her. The impact of her words calmed something within her and she regained the use of her voice. "That may be true," Her head fell forward so she was glaring out from under heavy lids. "But you've given me even more reason to make sure you're sent to burn in hell."

Her doppelganger dropped her hands and laughed. "You can't kill me. I'm a part of you."

"Yes," She lifted her head staunchly. "I can." She didn't know how she hadn't seen it before. Kagome knew she was unconscious. She never got visits from evil specters while awake. But not being awake didn't mean she wasn't able. Her powers were much more accessible in this state and she used that tingling warmth to view her cloned sister in new light. Staring intently, it was an easy task to see the image of Naraku super-imposed over the snide looking girl. "You're not a part of me, just an extension of a cowardly fiend."

Naraku's snarl overshadowed hers until she all but disappeared from her sight. "You forget that I know all your darkest secrets. I know your weakness."

Kagome smiled genuinely at him. "And I know yours."

His snarl faded abruptly and he chuckled darkly. "Alright, I will allow this one reprieve, but I can't make that guarantee for your sister." Grinning cheekily, he faded away.

Left in his place was a very irate apparition. "You little bitch! I'll kill you!" She screamed and charged.

Kagome dodged her first blow, ducking to the left and smashing her stiffened hand into the back of her neck as she went past. Her attacker stumbled and fell, but slung out her heel and knocked her feet out from under her. Kagome went down hard, blindly throwing out a leg to hold off the growling banshee. Her twin stumbled back, but resumed her assault the second she gained her balance. She flew at her with a guttural roar and chopped her arm at Kagome's head.

The miko blocked it with her forearm and proceeded to hold off an all-out blitz attack of fists. High, low, and across- the raging puppet's offensive was agonizingly swift. Kagome knew she'd be covered in angry bruises if the pain radiating up her arms was any indicator. Her strength was fading as well. She'd endured too much. I have to end this now! Blocking a kick aimed for her groin with splayed hands, Kagome used what little she had left and slammed her fist into her twin's face once more.

Roaring in pain, the lesser Kagome reeled and slashed out with her heel as she spun. The foot hit her point-blank in the belly. The force sent her stomach rolling as she hobbled backward, hacking violently as she went. Unable to see where she was going as a result of the fog, she inevitably hooked her foot on something...

And fell into a pair of warm, steely arms. Her back connected with a broad expanse of walled flesh and those arms closed around her waist like a clamp. Glittering locks of silver hair fell into her peripheral as Inuyasha peered at her from over her shoulder. "Kagome, are you alright?"

She sobbed with relief, her legs finally buckling. His arms tightened to hold her up. "Inuyasha..." She clutched his wrists. "I have no idea how you got here, but I'm so happy you did."

He smiled, fangs peeking out of the corners of his mouth. "I'm not sure either, but I think my dog had something to do with it."

"Your dog?" She raised a curious brow.

"Never mind that," He pulled her up so she was standing with her weight leaning on him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She stared into his concerned amber eyes and nodded. "Mhm." She looked away when the tears sprang forth.

"Hey," He tipped her chin back. "What's wrong, Kagome?" She just shook her head and buried her face into his chest. Inuyasha's ears drooped. "C'mon Kagome, you know I hate it when you cry. Tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it."

Kagome fisted his bright haori in her hands. "No, now isn't the time." There were a million things she needed to tell him and a million things she needed him to tell her, but this wasn't the time or place. She sniffed and turned her face back to his. "We have to get out of this freak show first."

Inuyasha watched her will away her tears and relaxed. She was back in control, just like he counted on. He knew it was unfair of him, but he couldn't help it. Pressing a quick kiss to her lips, he nodded. "How?"

"Aw, how cute. The little doggy has been reunited with his master. Now they'll live happily ever after with him at her every beck and call." They both turned to look at the other Kagome in her tattered uniform. She sneered with her busted lips, spitting blood at their feet crudely. "You two make me sick."

Inuyasha glanced back at the woman in his arms. "Who the hell is she?"

Kagome glared at her. "You know how I said now isn't the time?" She pointed at the creature across the glen. "That's what I meant." She pulled at his wrists. "Let me go."

He reluctantly released her when he saw the disdain in her eyes. "Kagome?"

She slipped out of his grasp, willing her legs to work and moved behind his shoulder. "I'm not strong enough to kill her." She gripped his shoulder. "I need your help. Use the Tetsusaiga on her."

He glanced between the two anxiously. "She looks just like you."

Kagome nodded. "I know, I'll be fine." She pulled the sword from its sheath herself, holding it out to him. "You did it before to bring me here, now do it again." She stared at him sternly. "I'm trapped here until you do."

Inuyasha nodded. The circumstances surrounding this bizarre episode were bewildering. He knew that for now he had to ignore his confusion, because Kagome would explain everything to him when it was over. Lifting the sword from her nimble hands, he brandished the transformed fang and leveled it at the deranged, carbon-copy Kagome. "You may have her face, but don't think it'll spare you. You stink like Naraku." A scathing growl stirred deep in his throat. "I refuse to leave here without her, so that means you have to die."

Her eyes lingered on the sword for a moment before shifting to blaze at them both. "So be it." She stood straight up, legs together with her hands clasped in front of her like she was overjoyed at the notion. "I'm not worried. The two of you will both perish at the hands of Naraku. I will be avenged in the end."

Inuyasha raised the gleaming blade. "You really need to," He brought it down with all his might upon her unmoving body. "Shut up!"

Kagome watched the Tetsusaiga slice through her, igniting a blinding pink light. Inuyasha disappeared from view when the light exploded forth from her own body. Confused, she looked down and saw the Shikon shard vibrating against her chest. Kagome felt the fog close in on her head, darkening her vision. That's how he did it. I should have known. She smirked derisively as her body went limp. Fate can be a wicked bitch.

A/N: Do not fret. All will be explained. In case of confusion, the scenes with Kagome & Inuyasha were in a mental setting- sort of. I originally had it all in italics, but that got old real fast. The things that transpired didn't effect her physical body. Or Inuyasha's for that matter. It will all be explained in good time.

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