InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Eternal Curse ❯ Breaking Barriers ( Chapter 18 )

The Eternal Curse

Chapter Eighteen:

Breaking Barriers

A.N.: As soon as I posted up the last chapter, since it was a cliffy, I started to write the other one immediately. This story has…like four or so more chapter left to go! *shudder* JESUS! I HATE RYHMING UNINTENTIONALLY!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, you crazy? I don't have any money! *counts pocket change* I only have one…two…three…twenty five cents! Hey…that's good for snack money though.

Warning: Barely and M/S fluff, it's all Inu Kag.

Notes For Chapter: It will be the full moon in this chapter. Inuyasha shows Kagome what he really knowsJ So will her curse be erased…? Hm…something I haven't even figured out yet…poor me!

~*~

Sango's eyes widened, and pulling away flashed quickly through her mind, but when she felt how warm and soft his lips where she quickly abandoned the idea. As his lips moved languidly against hers, an shocking, burning sensation flew up her spine. She moaned loudly, pressing her mouth more firmly to his. Miroku ran his hands along her lower back, though they never wandered south. He was in heaven. He imagined her lips to be soft, but this was better than even he fantasized.

They had to part reluctantly, faces both pink as the gasped for breath.

"That was…wonderful," Sango murmured in a low voice, running her tongue along her lips. Miroku smiled in anticipation.

"Yeah, I know." Now it's time to put my French-kissing theory to good use! he thought, as he pushed her to down to kiss again.

***

She was asleep in his arms again. Kagome was still tired from that training session Inuyasha had given her as a hanyou last night. All of her muscles ached and she was starved, but being safe in his strong, warm, capable warms made all of that melt from her foggy mind. He ran his sensitive nose through her ebony hair, nuzzling her cheek, making her wake up, blinking large, chocolate brown eyes. She smiled, stroking his cheek, licking his neck. Inuyasha sighed in contentment, as she began to talk.

"Inuyasha you said you have a surprise for me?" she muttered, toying with an unkempt strand of silvery white hair, reveling at the silkiness of it. He growled, exposing one little fang. Kagome giggled, running her nails across his ear, causing him to purr roughly.

"You know you distract me when you do that," he said in a thick voice, barely able to keep his eyes open. Kagome laughed lightly.

"I know, that's why I do it," she replied smartly. "Now what is the surprise?" He snapped back to reality, and chewed his lip. He really didn't know how to describe this whole thing to Kagome. It would definitely help if he had thought about it before hand. Stupid him…

"Tonight's the full moon." Her bright face suddenly dropped, and she looked sad. Inuyasha feeling bad, nuzzled her again, taking her hands in his, rubbing his claws over her palm. "That'll really test Tetsusaiga to see if it can conceal my demon blood. But that's not the surprise."

"It's not?" He shook his head.

"I didn't tell you all that I knew the other day. I didn't mean to take anything from you," he purred. With that voice and cute, begging little face how could she decline his apology? Kagome felt herself nod under his chin. He growled happily in response. "I don't really know much else about Kikyo, except the fact that she wrote in scrolls everyday. So if I give them to you maybe you could find out some stuff." His small fangs worried his bottom lip as a hard look of concentration fell over Kagome's face.

"Inuyasha if you knew about Kikyo's scrolls then why didn't you get them earlier?" she asked, rubbing her chin, mind chewing on the issue that plagued her.

"It's not that simple, Kagome," he whispered, rubbing a tender knuckle over her cheek. She smiled. "I saw her write in them, but I can't find them! My nose can't pick up the scent or anything! I can't sense anything with Kikyo on it at all. So I think there is a kind of barrier. Since you are a miko like her I thought maybe you could break it and get the scrolls." Kagome stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Me…a good miko? Ha!" she scoffed. "I can't shoot a decent arrow, nonetheless break through a barrier! Kikyo, now she was the great miko that everyone loves and cares about. I'm just a mistake." Kagome sighed, snuggling up against his offered warmth. "Useless." She felt Inuyasha shake his head.

"No. You're not. Remember in the cave, with Sesshomaru? You made a bow!" he reminded her gently. The corners of his mouth pricked up in a smile.

"But I haven't been able to do it again!" Kagome protested, grabbing the rough material of his haori, rubbing her face in it. Her lips trembled in an effort to hold back tears. When Kikyo was alive she had ALWAYS been useless. She couldn't help out or be depended upon…oh no! It was always Kikyo who had the all responsibility. Inuyasha kindly lifted her chin with his hand.

"No one is perfect. You'll be able to do it again, eventually," he reassured her. Once again Kagome found herself getting lost in the perfect pools of shimmering gold, tinged with strong arrogance and determination. It made her heart pound, hope flutter in the tight confines of her chest. She put her hand in his.

"Okay, I'll try."

***

She sneezed because thick flecks of gray dust kept swarming up her nostrils. They were in a part of the castle barely visited by everyone, forgotten and lost by the maids and servants. Inuyasha ignored her frenzied breathing and stopped at the front of a long, dormant hallway.

"This is as far as I can sense," he told her. "Can you feel anything with your miko powers?" Kagome closed her eyes, concentrating, trying to find any scarce traces left by her dead sister. She focused so hard her small body began to shake. Kagome looked up, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't! I can't," she murmured. Inuyasha shrugged indifferently.

"That's okay. We'll just look again tomorrow. We're bound to pick something up," he pointed out. Suddenly, a freezing cold - like a bucket of icy water - wormed its way around her heart. Kagome looked up, hopeful.

"I can feel something!" she cried, hugging Inuyasha. "Now we should be able to find Kikyo's scrolls!" Inuyasha grinned.

"Right." Kagome closed her eyes, and saw a small, glittering speck of tinted purple behind her closed lids. It led north.

"Follow me."

***

Her heart beat hurriedly in her chest, tingles rushed up spine, a lingering feeling of power swept across her form. Inuyasha could smell her excitement as he followed her. Something began to prickle and gather in the lower pits of his stomach. The image of plain Kikyo, with her long, straight black hair, and dull, lifeless hazel eyes burned itself into his retina. He shook off the picture. My time with Kikyo is over, he thought as Kagome stopped abruptly at the end of the hall, her index finger pointed shakily to a large, closed door with a dusty, brass handle.

"In there. I can feel Kikyo's remaining miko energy in there," she muttered, opening her bright eyes. They cast a worried glance at Inuyasha. "Can you sense anything dangerous behind it?" The half demon focused, straining his nose and ears, trying to pick up any threatening scents or sounds. He found none.

"My demon senses stop right at the door…I can smell everything else around me, but nothing behind it." His ears flicked back as he pulled his lips against his fangs. Something wasn't right about that door. His steady hand found its way to Tetsusaiga. Kagome looked up at him worriedly.

"Should we go in?" she asked, managing to hide the tremor that shook her unsure words. Inuyasha squinted at the door, trying one last time to figure out the safeness level. But there was none. He shrugged, feigning a smile to comfort the girl.

"I don't know, but don't worry. I'll protect you." Kagome smiled at him, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek. He blushed.

"Thanks Inuyasha. I will protect you, too." Before he could protest, she put her hand on the knob.

A shocking jolt of electricity shot up her spine and she shrieked, snatching her injured hand away from the knob. Inuyasha ran to her side, pressing her firmly against his body. Kagome moaned in agony and sucked her electrocuted fingers in a desperate attempt to keep her pain at bay. Inuyasha smoothed the flyaway hairs that stuck up on his head and glared at the door.

"It's not safe. Don't go back there." Kagome pulled away from him, taking her bruised fingers from her mouth.

"I have to! It might be the only way to break the curse!" she sniffled, staring him down with large, sable eyes. "You-You don't want me to get better?" Inuyasha shook his head fervently.

"No!" he cried. "That's not what I mean. I just don't want you to get hurt. I'll do it."

"No!" Kagome squealed. "I am positive that if you touch that handle, you will die. This room is for mikos only, no hanyous or demons allowed."

"Then why did you get shocked?"

"Because I just kissed you," she said slowly, eyes brightening at her revelation. "I can't have any demon contact."

"Wha? Kagome-" he began.

"Stay back! I don't want you to die! I'll miss you too much!"

"But…what if you die?"

"I won't. Kikyo was my sister. She may h-have cursed me but she would never kill me…" Kagome mumbled, suddenly unsure of herself. She stared at her fingerprints that stood out in the smokey gray dust on the door handle. If I don't do this now…I don't know if I'll ever be able to break my curse. With renewed hope, she edged up to the knob, and grasped it, closing her eyes quickly. There was no shocking sensation flooding through her veins. She curiously opened one eye, and twisted the door knob. The door opened, creaking on rusty hinges.

The room was completely bare, except for a cracked, tarnished window. Watery yellow sunlight feebly struggled to work its way through the thick glass. It made a weak trailed on the dilapidated floor. She could tell that Inuyasha was inching forwards because of the groaning of the old floor boards. She turned and put up a hand to stop him.

"But…I have to protect you!" he protested angrily, though his steps ceased.

"I don't want you to die!" Kagome told him honestly, feeling the prickles of tears in her eyes. "Please…stay back!" Inuyasha growled, not wanting her to shed any more tears because of him. He took another step back, clawed hand still gripping his blade tightly.

"I have to take care of you, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured. "And I will." Kagome smiled brilliantly, and turned her back towards him. She closed her eyes, focusing on the source of the energy that had drawn her there in the first place. There it was against, that icy cold, painful jolt that made her heart clench. Kagome followed it to the center of the room, where the beams of power seemed strongest. It seemed to be radiating from the floor. So, she stooped, and tenderly brushed her hand against the meek wood.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried, teasing his lips with his pointed fangs; they drew blood. Kagome had touched the floorboard and suddenly sprung back, as if it was lit on fire. Her eyes were wide with fear, bottom lip trembling, as she began to sniffle with pain.

"T-There's a l-large am-amount of miko energy there," she hiccupped, putting her twice injured fingers in her mouth.

"I'm coming in!"

"No!" Kagome screamed. "Don't get hurt because of me!"

"It doesn't matter! I'll live." She shook her head ardently, her whole body beginning to tremble. "Look! You're in pain!"

"No! I can sense a powerful barrier," Kagome explained shakily, running her fingers a few feet above the floor. A gleaming, purple barricade appeared, crackling with electric energy. "See?"

"How come you cut through it before?" Inuyasha asked, nose still not able to smell a single thing beyond the door. Kagome shrugged.

"I dunno, but I know that Kikyo's scrolls are underneath the floorboards." Inuyasha stared at the barrier.

"You sure?" She nodded. "Then you better not touch it!"

"So you're saying I don't know what I'm talking about?" she cried angrily, placing her hands on her hips, glaring at him with narrowed brown eyes. Inuyasha held his hands up in defense.

"No! Just cause it could be dangerous. I'm worried about you," he explained. She blushed.

"Oh."

"Be careful," Inuyasha said. Kagome nodded again, returning her attention to the barricade, absentmindedly catching her bottom lip between her teeth. She placed her two fingers a few inches above the barrier, but she instantly snatched them back. They felt like they were on fire; she hissed with pain. Inuyasha growled, flicking his white doggie ears against his sheet of silvery white hair. "KAGOME!"

"I get it now," she said quietly. "I have to shoot through it."

"How?" Inuyasha barked, his foot only a few inches from the doorway. His Kagome was getting hurt and he didn't like it one bit.

"I have to create my bow and arrows like I did in the cave," Kagome answered. "I have to focus my miko powers." Inuyasha shook his head, gold eyes wide.

"Don't do it, idiot! You could really hurt yourself!"

"Sorry," she whispered, with a sad smile. She closed her eyes again, and concentrated on what she wanted to do. A glowing blue light surrounded her, whipping her long black hair around her body. Her force became tangible, and the empty feelings in her hand began to grow solid. Shuddering, Kagome opened her eyes, and stared at the pine bow crossed with a thin arrow.

"Shoot! She really did it!"

Kagome aimed at the crackling barrier, closing one eye in concentration. She let the arrow go. It collided with the barrier; a glaring white light increased it. Suddenly, some type of suction stirred up, ripping Kagome's bow and Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga from them. Their weapons hit and bounced off the wall. They yelled as the barricade exploded, blinding them with ribbons of light. Kagome was thrown backwards from the sheer force and slammed into Inuyasha.

The last thing she could remember was welcoming the darkness that crept upon her vision as she curled up against his unconscious form.