InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Boyfriend ❯ Descent Into Darkness ( Chapter 29 )

Disclaimer: InuYasha, Kagome and anyone else you saw in the manga or anime does not belong to me. Yukio does. If I saw so much as a shiny penny for this story, you think I'd be writing fanfiction still? Okay, I would… Damn other authors and their more interesting universes… Patches at AdInuyasha.com translated dialogue from the manga.

 

Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: M
Codes: Inu/Kag
Feedback: Keeps my muse talking and the stories coming! Do tell. But if you have a flame, use it for something more productive, like setting your clothes on fire.

 

 

The Boyfriend
Chapter 29

 

Kagome was using every ounce of her willpower to remain sitting. The rest was entirely her mother's hand holding her in place. It was so hard not to go running into the operating room where her fiancé and daughter were currently undergoing a dangerous procedure. She wasn't worried about InuYasha, she knew he would heal, but Tama was just a little girl. A tiny little girl. Her only baby…

 

“They will be just fine,” Mama said, giving Kagome's hand a reassuring squeeze before putting her hand back in her lap.

 

“How do you do this?” Kagome asked softly. Mrs. Higurashi turned to look at her. “Every time I go through the well, you must feel like this. You must wonder if I'll come back. How do you do it?”

 

“That's not the same,” Mrs. Higurashi answered. “I know that it's dangerous, but I also believe that you wouldn't be able to go there if there wasn't a reason you were supposed to. And I believe that when you've fulfilled your purpose, you'll come safely back to me.”

 

“But when I was gone, you—”

 

“I'm sorry about that. I know InuYasha was doing his best, but it was right after… And it took so long that I…” Mrs. Higurashi looked down. “I always believed you would come home. I was just afraid of what was happening to you in the meantime. I don't like the thought of you in pain.”

 

“I can understand that,” Kagome agreed. “I just don't understand how you were okay with me going back again after that.” Her mom smiled.

 

“I trust you, Kagome. And I trust InuYasha. I have to let you do what you must do. It's part of being a mother. Yes, part of it is keeping you safe, but a bigger part is helping you to grow up,” Mrs. Higurashi told her. Kagome's eyes brimmed with tears and she threw her arms around her mother and hugged her, crying. Mrs. Higurashi stroked her hair and patted her back. After a few minutes, Kagome pulled herself back together and wiped her eyes on the back of her arm. Kagome smiled back at her mom, thinking how different she looked now that she, herself was a mother. She thought more about what her mom thought of her than she ever had.

 

“I hope that I'm as good a mother as you were for me,” Kagome told her.

 

“I'm sure you will be,” Mrs. Higurashi reassured her. “When you were first born, I worried all the time about what kind of mother I would be and what kind I wanted to be. I was always worried that I would do the wrong thing.”

 

“When did you stop worrying?” Kagome asked.

 

“I'll let you know when it happens,” her mother answered with a wink.

 

“Higurashi-san?” the doctor called from the doorway. Kagome stood up immediately.

 

“Yes, sensei?” Kagome responded, walking over to him.

“Tama and Taji-san are out of surgery,” he told her. “Everything went fine and they're recovering now. You may see them if you like.”

 

“Are they in the same room?” Kagome asked.

 

“No, Tama is in the pediatric ward.”

 

“InuYasha will probably wake up first,” Kagome said softly. “Can you take me there? Can my mom go to Tama?”

 

“Of course,” the doctor agreed and guided Kagome to InuYasha's room. A nurse was sent to take her mother to Tama's. Kagome bowed slightly to the doctor as he left, then went to sit next to InuYasha, whose hair and ears were stuffed together into a plastic cap that she had put on him earlier to hide his true nature. No one had seemed to notice that he didn't have ears under the rim of the cap, but she supposed that maybe some people liked it down that low.

 

She reached out and had to stop herself from removing the cap and tweaking his ears, but satisfied herself with tweaking the plastic instead. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching her, then she lifted the sheet off his torso and looked down, blushing and dropping it immediately. She hadn't realized he was totally nude underneath! Well, except for what she had been looking for—the bandages on his hip, where they had removed a section of bone for the marrow that was now benefiting her daughter.

 

“Get a good look?” InuYasha whispered, making Kagome jump. She blushed furiously, having just stopped right before he spoke and let her bangs fall into her face, covering her eyes. She heard a cough and looked over to realize InuYasha was laughing at her! She started to get angry and then smiled instead.

 

“Well, it's only fair, considering how many times you've peeped at me,” she teased him. He coughed a little more and she leaned over to kiss his forehead. “You're not supposed to be awake yet,” Kagome told him. “But then, the stuff they gave you was intended for a human, after all.” InuYasha made a soft sound of agreement.

 

“How is Tama?” he asked, his voice barely audible.

 

“They said she's doing fine. I wanted to come here first, though, since I knew you would wake up first and I could be in the room with you when it happened,” Kagome answered. InuYasha smiled, his eyelids drooping. Kagome could see that he was tired. “It's going to be hard not being able to touch her for weeks. Even when she was in the NICU when she was born, I could still touch her.”

 

“Don't want… make her… sick,” InuYasha trailed off and Kagome smiled when she heard his louder breathing. He had fallen back to sleep. She slid the plastic cap off now and pulled out the red bandanna she had brought with her, tying it over his ears. They had told the doctor it was for luck and that's why InuYasha wore it at every meeting before the surgery and would wear it after. She stroked his hair down against the pillow and smiled softly at him, then stood up to leave.

 

It didn't take her long to find a nurse to take her to her daughter, though it took longer to actually get to Tama's room. Mrs. Higurashi was standing at the glass window, looking in at Tama lying asleep in the bed. Kagome stood next to her and wondered at the tiny little girl lying in a room all by herself, where she would be until her immune system kicked back in. Until then, Kagome couldn't go in for fear of killing her with a stray germ. There was an IV running into her arm that the nurse pointed out to Kagome.

 

“That's the transfusion line,” she told Kagome as a doctor adjusted it. “It's giving her the cells from Taji-san. It will take about two hours.”

 

“When will I be able to visit her?” Kagome asked.

 

“When her absolute neutrophil count is greater than five hundred for three days,” the nurse answered. “Usually a week or two.” Kagome nodded.

 

“Will she get the breast milk I pumped?” Kagome asked. The nurse nodded.

 

“After it's been treated. It will be good for her recovery,” the nurse agreed. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. It was one of Tama's favorite things and the only thing of hers that she could give to her while she was recovering. She felt so bad that Tama wouldn't even be with her mother during this separation. She would be with the nurses and doctor she had only just started to get to know over the past couple weeks. Kagome wiped away a tear discreetly as she remembered how scared Tama had been when Kagome had to leave the room so she could receive anesthesia.

 

“Thank you,” Kagome told the nurse. She stood silently next to her mother and watched the doctor finishing adjusting Tama's central line and leave.

 

 

InuYasha healed perfectly and there was no mark where they'd drilled into him within a week. Tama, on the other hand barely looked alive when Kagome visited her and eventually, she just went down the well. She couldn't handle the wait, she needed something to distract herself. Whenever Tama saw her, she became hysterical, so her doctor had suggested it would be best if she stopped coming for a while anyway.

 

It was to be the biggest mistake she had made in a long time.

 

Kirara wasn't there, so she ran into the middle of the fray with no one prepared for her to be there. They were fighting a possessed Kohaku and as Kagome ran onto the field, he flung himself at an outcropping of sharp rocks, trying to destroy his body and Magatsuhi at the same time.

 

InuYasha grabbed Kohaku, saving him at the last minute and Kagome was surprised to see a bright spot of light still shining from his tainted shard. She realized that he had succeeded in ejecting Magatsuhi from his body entirely. But she sensed Naraku's tainted shikon no tama in the area and knew that meant he had to be here. But where, she couldn't tell.

 

“InuYasha, be careful!” Kagome yelled and every head swung towards her. “Naraku is here!” And then a tentacle formed from the air, smashing into InuYasha and stealing Kohaku from his grasp.

 

“You lose!” Magatsuhi laughed. But it was a short-lived victory for him as a voice turned everyone's attention again.

 

“Naraku's body... hn. Bakusaiga!” An electric wave tore from the sword in Sesshomaru's hand and Kagome gasped when her skin crawled from it and the sharp scent of ozone burned her nose.

 

Kohaku fell.

 

Sango screamed and pushed Kirara, who barely swung down to get below him in time before he would have been crushed. Kagome barely heard the commentary that followed, but she caught the gist of it. 'Tenseiga is all that can kill Magatsuhi,' she thought to herself, feeling hope surge into her heart. 'If Magatsuhi is destroyed, my powers will return.'

 

But her hope was crushed when after taunting Sesshomaru, who responded simply with the information that the first blow was to declare that he could kill him, he spoke words whose meaning didn't instantly sink in.

 

“It's not over? What does that mean?” Kagome asked. Sango understood, when InuYasha thought it was just a bluff.

 

“Houshi-sama sucked up part of Magatsuhi,” she reasoned. “And Rin was also hit with Magatsuhi's toxic aura and has been unconscious ever since!” She had barely finished her words when Sesshomaru spun and disappeared in the direction of the village. “We should also return to the village, I'm worried about houshi-sama and the others.”

 

“Right!” InuYasha agreed. “Let's go Kagome!”

 

“Right...” Kagome started to take a step when InuYasha's face filled with horror.

 

“Naraku!” he shouted. Kagome felt hard limbs wrap around her torso, crushing her and she screamed. Naraku laughed.

 

“Kagome, I don't even need to hide behind a barrier, since you couldn't even tell where I was. It looks like your spiritual powers haven't returned yet.”

 

“Naraku, you bastard!” InuYasha snarled, brandishing Tetsusaiga. Kagome struggled to escape, suddenly panicking against the feel of being trapped against the evil hanyou's chest. His limbs tightened and she ceased being able to move at all as he used her as a human shield.

 

“What's wrong, InuYasha?” he taunted. “Don't hold back. Kill me.” InuYasha growled, but it was clear he was helpless to do anything. “Don't worry. I won't kill her. Not until I take Kohaku's shard.” Tentacles flew into Kagome's vision on a path towards Kohaku and Sango, still flying on Kirara.

 

“Have you forgotten about Hiraikotsu's powers, Naraku?” Sango challenged, hacking away at him. He laughed and Kagome shuddered.

 

“Sango—the part of my body that you're currently destroying is a part I don't mind throwing away,” he told her. “The part that Sesshomaru cut away earlier was just as useless. My body is limitless.” Kagome's fear faded for a moment and she was able to think rationally, despite being trapped as she was.

 

'If I can just find where the shikon no tama is in his body, he should be defeatable,' she thought. 'Where is it? His head? His neck? Or maybe his heart?' She sent out all of her power into him and finally...

 

“InuYasha! Sango-chan! The shikon no tama is in Naraku's right shoulder!” It was the last thing she was able to communicate as his limbs tightened around her throat until the pressure was unbearable and she lost consciousness.

 

When she woke up, she had the strangest feeling of sinking into something. Her eyes flew open as she realized what was happening.

 

“I'm being sucked in!” she called out, terrified. Naraku gloated and Kohaku asked for his word that a trade could be arranged.

 

“Stay away, Kohaku-kun! There's no way Naraku would spare me! Plus, if the shikon shard that binds your life is removed, you'll die!” Then, to her horror, Kohaku agreed to Naraku's terms, to trade himself for her. She knew it was a trap, but there was nothing more she could do or say. She was afraid for herself, but even more so for Kohaku as he surrendered and Naraku's appendages grabbed hold of him.

 

But the fear only lasted as long as it took Naraku to drop his barrier, then Kohaku pounced, pulling out a sacred arrow, still full of the purity of both Kagome and Kikyo and plunged it into Naraku's shoulder, where it had already been torn open, though Kagome had missed when or by whom.

 

Kagome leaned as far away from Naraku as she could manage as Naraku dug the arrow in deep. She looked and realized she could see the light flowing through the arrow from Kohaku's shard. “I can see it!” Kagome declared as the jewel started to be revealed. Then Naraku shook Kohaku off and started to flee—with her still wrapped in his grasp. “InuYasha!” she screamed.

 

“Kagome!” he screamed back, leaping after them, Tetsusaiga already transforming. “Kongousouha!” he yelled as he released thousands of diamond spears at Naraku's head, shredding it and freeing Kagome. “Kagome!” he yelled as she fell.

 

Kagome wasn't scared, though. All she felt was relief that Naraku was no longer confining her. That, and the air rushing past her as gravity pulled her down. A moment later, just as she knew would happen, she was nestled in InuYasha's arms.

 

“Kagome, you're not hurt are you?” he asked, looking into her eyes with concern.

 

“No,” she answered, just relieved to be back in his arms. She looked up and frowned. “He's run and hid in that cloud.”

 

“Damnit,” InuYasha muttered, glaring up at the black sky above. He carefully set Kagome down and they turned as Sango landed with Kohaku.

 

“Did Naraku escape?” Sango asked.

 

“Yeah, but he must have been pretty shaken up by Kohaku's attack,” InuYasha confirmed.

 

“Thank you, Kohaku,” Kagome said. He smiled. “We were all saved, thanks to you.”

 

“Thank goodness,” he said.

 

“Kohaku, everything's all right now.”

 

“Yes, ane-ue,” he replied, looking peaceful for the first time that Kagome had ever seen him. Then he looked surprised and Kagome saw the small spray of blood from his shoulder. She felt cold as his face went blank and he fell. She watched in horror as his shard flew out of him, towards Naraku above them.

 

“Kohaku!” Sango cried out.

 

“Kohaku-kun...” Kagome whispered. 'He's dead?' It didn't want to sink in. It was so sudden—no warning at all. Just like Tama's falling spells. Kagome felt shocky.

 

“Kohaku? Why? WHY?!” Sango cried and InuYasha's face twisted with pain and anger.

 

“Kagome—Naraku... where is Naraku?!” InuYasha demanded.

 

Kagome looked up. 'I can see it,' she thought, 'Naraku's completely black shikon no tama.' Kagome clutched the bow she had carried this whole time, taken from Kaede's hut on the way. 'My holy arrow... Even if my spiritual power hasn't returned, I can still show InuYasha the way!' She drew the string back and fired, straight for the jewel.

 

“There! Meidou zangetsuha!” InuYasha yelled, releasing the power he had taken from Sesshomaru in their last battle. Black funnels formed a sphere of night where Naraku was only a moment before, but the bastard just laughed as he escaped.

 

“InuYasha, you can't even save even a single small life like Kohaku's. The priestess's light has died out and now even Kohaku's shard is tainted with my darkness.” Kagome was shocked to find that it was true. The light was gone from the shard. She stared as Naraku retreated, unwilling to turn to the soft crying behind her.

 

Suddenly, InuYasha punched the ground with all his strength and slumped over on himself, defeated.

 

“InuYasha...” Kagome whispered, unable to help him. She couldn't help anyone. She had failed even more than he had. All that she was had been taken from her and now she was just a useless bystander. 'I'm sorry, Kohaku-kun. I'm sorry,' she thought, tormented, tears slipping from her eyes.

 

She glanced back at Sango clinging to her brother's body and was shocked at what she saw. 'Light! Kohaku-kun is being wrapped in light. What is this?' Then Sango opened her eyes and sat back, disbelief on her face as her brother opened his eyes as well.

 

“Kohaku-kun!” Kagome exclaimed in surprise. InuYasha's head shot up and whipped around and she saw the taint of pain still in them.

 

“Ko... haku?” Sango whispered.

 

“Ane... ue,” he replied, weakly. Kagome couldn't believe what she was seeing.

 

“The purification light let go of the shard and remained in Kohaku's body,” she said softly. “It saved Kohaku instead of destroying Naraku...”

 

“Why?” Sango asked softly, looking to Kagome. “Not that I'm complaining...”

 

“It's what I would have done,” Kagome said. “Saving a life is more important than destroying one.”

 

“Thank you,” Sango whispered to Kohaku's shoulder. Kagome nodded her agreement and decided that maybe it wasn't such a huge mistake to come back after all. Now all that was left was waiting for Naraku to use the jewel and to destroy him entirely.

 

Kagome closed her eyes as she fell, still hearing Sesshomaru call her an idiot. But there was nothing she could do now. She had dropped Tetsusaiga and her bow and she was falling to her death. Well, maybe she was an idiot, but she refused to believe that InuYasha was a lost cause and she had only wanted to bring Tetsusaiga to him so that he would awaken from Magatsuhi's hold on his mind.

 

Then she grunted as she was caught by strong arms and she could feel that it was a youkai who held her. She opened her eyes, confused and surprised that Sesshomaru had caught her, only to see InuYasha's youkai eyes watching her as they descended.

 

“InuYasha... you saved me?” she asked softly. “Do you recognize me?”

 

“I heard your voice, Kagome,” he answered. He seemed dazed and confused and looked tired.

 

“InuYasha,” Kagome asked, realizing that he hadn't caught his sword, “Where's Tetsusaiga?”

 

“Dunno... it fell...” he muttered, still appearing lost. Then Sesshomaru spoke and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

 

“What will you do, Magatsuhi? It looks like that hanyou is harder to control than you though.”

 

“Sesshomaru,” Kagome said softly, realizing that he was very close. In fact, she guessed that he had been about to catch her himself when InuYasha interfered. But his words brought back the memory that it was not just InuYasha behind those red eyes.

 

Magatsuhi's voice came from all around her. “Sesshomaru, do you wish for me to leave InuYasha?” Kagome braced herself. 'He's probably going to try to possess me next.' She met Sesshomaru's eyes and watched them narrow, but then the air around her became charged and thick and she turned to InuYasha, who was leaning in towards her.

 

“Release her!” Sesshomaru commanded as Kagome thought 'can't move!' Fear welled up inside of her as it appeared InuYasha was trapping her in place. Flashed of helplessness years before overwhelmed her. But before she could even truly get upset, InuYasha had kicked off the ground—away from her.

 

“InuYasha...” Kagome breathed, feeling like she was choking against the mind pressing hard into hers. Then everything was static and she couldn't hear or see. She heard Magatsuhi taunting InuYasha, telling Sesshomaru he'd have to destroy her... all from inside her own mind.

 

And then the world came back.

 

'Magatsuhi... left my body...' she realized. 'He's being drawn towards InuYasha?' She was confused by what was happening as Sesshomaru taunted his enormous visage and wondered why he wasn't reentering InuYasha.

 

“Regretting who you possessed, huh?” Sesshomaru spoke, then he was flying through the air, Tenseiga drawn against Magatsuhi, whose noncorporeal head was floating in front of InuYasha. Kagome watched in mingled hope and fear as Sesshomaru slashed through him.

 

“Impossible... how could I lose to a mere hanyou's youki...” Magatsuhi's voice faded as Sesshomaru sheathed Tenseiga as the fluid end of the attack. The feeling was instantaneous and caught Kagome off guard. Her eyes widened and she gasped. It felt like a haze had just lifted. A curtain she hadn't known was in front of her was simply drawn back.

 

“Kagome...” InuYasha said and she turned to him. His expression was no longer dull and listless, but concerned and surprised. Unable to contain herself, she ran to him and embraced him. Her lips found his without a second thought and she ignored the sharp press of his longer, youkai fangs. He kissed her back after only a second's hesitation and she felt her power flood into him. He gasped and she opened her eyes to meet his.

 

They were golden again, just as they had been that time when she'd saved him from the shard he'd embedded in Tetsusaiga, though he was still a youkai. She was startled by the resemblance he suddenly had toward his brother, though their stripes were colored differently. She looked over at Sesshomaru, who was steadfastly looking away. Blushing, she stepped back and dropped her hands to her side.

 

“If you two are done, we still have to defeat Naraku,” Sesshomaru said, still refusing to look at them.

 

“Sorry,” Kagome said, embarrassed by her public display of affection. Sesshomaru made a dismissive sound.

 

“Where is the jewel?” InuYasha asked and Kagome felt herself smile at the old question. It had been so long since InuYasha had used her as a jewel detector, even though she'd kept acting as one, even without her powers. “I know it's close, I can still feel it.”

 

Kagome looked up at InuYasha's eyes, surprised to see that they were still golden. Just her presence was purifying the jewel's effects on him. Kagome heard a familiar scream off in the distance and she turned to find the source, but Miroku was nowhere to be seen.

 

“More importantly, where is Rin?” Sesshomaru asked quietly. Kagome looked at him and noticed his nose twitched ever so slightly.

 

“Can you smell her?” Kagome asked. She could tell by his silence and inaction that he couldn't.

 

“All I can smell right now is Naraku—everywhere,” InuYasha growled. “Is that Miroku?” he asked, looking in the direction Kagome had a moment ago.

 

“I think so,” Kagome said. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to her. “We have to hurry!” she shouted and started running towards where she felt the jewel the strongest. If Miroku were about to be pulled into his wind tunnel, she had no idea what that would mean for all of them inside Naraku with him. And she had no doubt that Sango was right at his side—she would be, were it InuYasha instead.

 

Before she'd made it ten meters, InuYasha had grabbed her and slung her onto his back so fast she squeaked in surprise. He ran in the exact path she'd set and when she looked over, Sesshomaru was easily keeping pace. 'No doubt, just glad to have a goal,' she thought. Then he froze.

 

InuYasha skidded to a halt and turned in unison with his brother. They were going away from the jewel, but Kagome was sure of where they were going to.

 

“Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama! Help!” Rin's voice was faint, but even Kagome could hear her calling. Sesshomaru picked up speed and InuYasha was clearly hard pressed to keep up. Kagome could feel him breathing heavier and when they stopped in front of a disgusting, pulsing wall, he was panting.

 

“She's here,” Sesshomaru declared before he started hacking away at the fleshy wall.

 

“Come on,” Kagome said to InuYasha, tugging on his sleeve. “We have to get to the jewel. He doesn't need our help here.”

 

“Right,” InuYasha said, nodding once. He turned to where she pointed and they ran full speed ahead. As they approached, the wall separated in front of them and Naraku stepped out. Or rather, the image of Naraku's previous form. Kagome ignored him and continued searching for the jewel as InuYasha shrugged her off onto the ground to fight with him.

 

She glanced over from time to time as she tried to find anything she could use as an arrow. She had her bow again, InuYasha had picked it up before catching up with her, but she still had nothing to shoot from it. InuYasha tore through clones of Naraku as they came, seemingly endlessly and Kagome knew that time was running out.

 

Then she found it. A single arrow, embedded in the flesh wall furthest from the jewel. She suspected it was a trap, but she didn't have the luxury of not falling for it. So she ran to it, ignoring InuYasha's calls and grabbed the tail. Immediately, the wall softened and tentacles burst forth, engulfing her arm. Kagome screamed and planted her feet against it, but they just sank in. He was absorbing her!

 

“Kongousouha!” InuYasha exclaimed and Kagome tried to turn to see what he was attacking, but a part of the wall reached out and grabbed her throat. Suddenly, she was fighting to breathe and black spots danced before her eyes. Then she was free and gasping for air with her prize clutched firmly in her hand.

 

“Got it!” she shouted, standing up, even though her legs felt like rubber. She didn't waste a second. She turned, aimed and prayed. “Strike your mark,” she whispered. Then she released.

 

She saw the armored core as the flesh was stripped away from the area surrounding the jewel. The arrow didn't stop there, though, it blasted through it and hit exactly where she had aimed—the center of the jewel.

 

“NO!” she heard Naraku scream as InuYasha screamed her name. Pain exploded in her brain and blossomed into agony only for a second before everything went black.

 

 

To be continued…

 

A/N: Again, I have to thank scanlators with all my heart—for both content and my continued interest in this series. I hope that this chapter was more satisfying than the last. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but I'm going to try my hardest to get the next chapter out before the next chapter of the IY manga. It's hard to find time to write with a toddler always needing me to play with and nurse her, but I'm doing my best. Thanks also to all the bands that feed my muse so that he can continue to inspire me—top of the list for this story being Seether, Evanescence, KoRn, A Perfect Circle and Three Days Grace. Also, please excuse any errors or inconsistencies in spelling—I lost Word and am now having to write in Open Office. While it's a wonderful clone, the dictionary leaves something to be desired and does not have my personal modifications totally updated to it yet. And, as always, I am beta-free. Ja ne!