InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Longest Journey ❯ Eight Minutes in Hell ( Chapter 28 )

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

Chapter 28: Eight Minutes in Hell

Kagome had felt the rising youki coming from the incarnation above them, and without even thinking, she swept Reikonken out of her sheathe, settling into a defensive stance just as Inuyasha dashed in front of them, and a wave of darkness encompassed all those within the barrier. Kagome's own reiki reacted to the touch of the youki from the incarnation, reflecting back from the blade in her hand, lighting her with a soft glow that was the last thing those outside the barrier saw - before everyone inside it, and Inuyasha, all vanished.

She could feel the spirits of everyone within the barrier, and as it fell, she realized with horror exactly where they were...

Hell.

She reacted instantly as the barrier dropped, setting a glowing dome over them, and making sure she pulled Inuyasha's body within its protective confines as well. Kikyou, and Inuyasha were both dead, and only Kanna and she were still alive. Taking her sword, she reversed it and sank it into the ground at her feet, using it to anchor the barrier. Slumping slightly, she looked around.

Now what the hell was she supposed to do?

She could feel the spirits of the two still within her barrier, and trying her best to stop the beginnings of blind panic on her part, set her mind on what she could do. Reaching out with hands of reiki, she took ahold of Kikyou's soul orb, cupping it gently. It had darkened quite a bit from its normal more pure state, and that was due to all the pain the elder miko had suffered over the last weeks, and so, Kagome being who she was, she began to purify it of the darkness, taking away as much of the pain as possible, before finally placing it softly into the priestess' chest - and waited, to see if Kikyou would choose to accept her life back.

She was pleased when her chest began to move as she resumed breathing. It would take a few minutes, but she would wake. Satisfied, she turned to her next task: waking Inuyasha.

Approaching his body, she realized that the only part of his soul that was left was the human half - the youkai side had dissipated as soon as they reached hell because it had been outside of the barrier, and she didn't know how that was going to change things for him. He still had his youkai appearance but...

She breathed deeply, smoothing out the lines of fear that were once again wrinkling the fabric of her mind, and concentrated on him, and restoring what she could of him. In some ways, she had to admit, this had made things easier on her - now, she wouldn't have to fight his youkai side, she'd only have to restore his soul to his body... and then figure some way out of this mess. But that was for later, right now...

She took his soul, just as she had Kikyou's, and healed it of the sadness and pain as much as she could - but his carried far more than Kikyou's had, and some of it was far too ingrained into who he was to be cleansed. She did what she could, though, and once she'd healed as much as possible, she moved forward, and placed his soul back into his chest... and waited to see whether he would choose life, as well.

Just then, she heard Kikyou beginning to wake, and turned with a tentative smile, hoping the other miko would have some ideas as to how to help them get out of this. Going over and crouching by her side, she helped the older woman sit up, and waited for her to speak.

"I was dead, wasn't I? Again?"

"Yeah," she said, softly, "and we all still might be soon, because somehow, we've been thrust into hell, and if we can't figure out how to get out of here..." she trailed off. Kikyou would get the message, and she turned away suddenly as Inuyasha inhaled on a gasp, and started breathing again.

Just as he did so, Kanna, who no longer carried the infant that had died as they'd entered hell, took her mirror out of her kimono and trained it on Inuyasha - and Kagome watched as a trail of darkness was sucked into it, and she could see, by looking at him, that the last remnants of Naraku's filthy, tainted mind had been taken from him, reversing the mess he had made as much as it was possible to do so. What he would be when he woke remained to be seen.

With a start, she realized that Inuyasha carried a huge chunk of her jewel, and pulsing her aura, she called it to her. Once she held it in her hands, with Kikyou looking on, she opened her own little bag of shards and, cupping them protectively, she fused them all together... just as Kikyou had taught her to do so long ago in the priestess-sealer cave. She realized at that moment that only Kohaku's shard was still missing - which meant he was still alive somewhere. That was good - it gave hope that Sango's brother could still be saved... if she could get them out of this mess, first, of course.

Looking up once more at the body of the hanyou that had ultimately caused all the grief, she let the tears fall - he'd caused so much pain and grief with his actions. She shook her head, in that moment almost amused by the irony. Two males, Inuyasha, and Naraku, both brought down by their obsessions over women they couldn't have - and this was the result.

Them, stuck in hell, and her with no clue how to get them out. Forlornly, she reached out to her link with Sugimi, trying to calm the fear, and felt him return the touch through the bond, sending love and strength to her.

That was her first four minutes in hell.

---zZz---

When the group inside the barrier had disappeared, everyone still standing on the battlefield had stopped, shock stilling everything but the ability to draw air... and then the panic had kicked in.

Sugimi barely held on, the only thing keeping him sane at the moment was the feel of the bond between he and his mate - but fear was eating at him, because he could also tell from what was coming from the bond that she was in a place he would never have wanted her to see...

Hell.

The whelp had drug Sugimi's mate, and his own, with him into hell, and if Kagome didn't prevail, none of them would return.

Inuyasha hadn't yet realized that he could not win - even on this battlefield. He would never have Kagome. It was as simple as that. The moment she had been born, it had been too late for his son - she had belonged to Sugimi even from well before her birth.

The funny thing was that Kagome was too pure to remain in hell. Hell was about despair, and pain, even suffering, but it wasn't a place that could withstand her light - and so, if she didn't make it, and died, he would be joining her - but it wouldn't be in hell. Inuyasha would be stranded in that place of suffering, and he would still lose Kagome.

It was ironic. Because if he had been in his right mind, Inuyasha would have known that. It was only in his desperation that he had forgotten that... his desperation to keep her.

Sugimi sighed, and his fears calmed. At this point, there was naught to do but wait. He felt her reach out at that moment through the bond, fear and despair flooding her, and he reached back and soothed her, letting her know that, no matter what, they would remain together... if she couldn't find a way back to him, he would be joining her there.

So, with his fears pushed to the back of his mind, he turned to the rest of the group, and noticed that, in their panic, they'd all broken off their fights... and the opposing warriors were regrouping.

Moving towards the members of the pack nearest his own position, he roared out, "Fools! Do not turn your backs on your enemies! Let Kagome fight her battle - you all still have yours!"

Once again facing the battlefield, he reversed his sword and held it before him for one moment, letting his youki channel into the blade, as a red aura began pulsing from it, and then he thrust it into the ground before him...

... And red lightening erupted from the ground, stalking across the field and burning away every enemy that rose before him with the immensity of his youki. It was loud, it was long, and it was powerful, leaving even his pack members staring in awe, and his own son's hackles standing on edge. Even he had never seen the likes of the wave of power that had broken outward from the sword his father held.

When it was over, he turned and stared at a shocked group of people, and said, "That is why it does not do to anger me."

Sesshoumaru nodded as he sheathed his own sword, and watched as his father did so as well. "Where are the miko and the half-breed, father?"

He put his head down for a moment, then turned to the group that was rapidly surrounding him. He couldn't offer them comfort. Only the truth.

"Inuyasha has swept them to hell," he told them, as they gathered around him.

There was a moment of profound silence, and then Kouga spoke up, bitterness in his voice. "And you stand here, and say that so calmly? You, who claim to love her?!"

Sugimi growled at him, eyes flashing red for a moment, and then said, "Yes. Because I have faith in her, ookami. She is not dead, and even now is fighting to return."

He looked at them all, enough wrath in his eyes to keep them all silent.

"She will succeed - and even if she does not, I will still be with her."

Sango looked at him, nodding, knowing that truly, the daiyoukai's fate was also being decided, not just her friends. "So, what do we do?"

"The only thing that we can. We wait."

---zZz---

Kagome watched as Inuyasha's chest contiued to rise and fall, and waited, knowing that he would wake soon. She had calmed greatly when she'd felt Sugimi's touch through the bond, and the knowledge that they would be together, no matter what, helped to keep her calm, and funny enough, to make her more determined to get them out of the place they were in... more determined to return to him.

Her focus returned to Inuyasha as she heard his breathing change, and she watched as his eyes fluttered open, and as he looked around in confusion, his gaze landed on her - and then on Kikyou, and he tried to reach out to his mate... and felt nothing.

His eyes widened with shock, and he sat up, asking, "What are we doing here," he looked around blankly, "and where the hell is here... and why can't I feel you through our mate bond?"

At that, Kagome couldn't help but chuckle. "Hell... well that was an appropriate word, Inuyasha, since that's where we are." She heard Kikyou sigh, and she answered the rest of Inuyasha's query for her. "And as for your mate bond? Isn't a mate bond typically 'til death?" At his nod, she continued. "That would explain that, then. You both died, Inuyasha, at your instigation. That broke your bond - you are no longer mates."

Inuyasha stared at her in horror, and then looked over at Kikyou, and they could both see the knowledge of what had happened, of what he had done, flash though his eyes, and he closed them in shame.

"I did this - I tried to gain strength to defeat my father, to win you from him, Kagome. But I never expected it to turn out this way, I swear." He clenched his fist in pain, tears running down his cheeks, then opened his eyes and stared hard at the woman he'd let go on that day a year before. "I still want you, Kagome - as much as I want her. Can't you understand that?"

Kagome sighed and shook her head. "Inuyasha." Taking the now purified chunk of jewel, she clasped it in her hand, and then crouching near him, took his hand and held it within hers. "Close your eyes, and reach out with your youki towards the jewel. I'm going to show you something."

He stared at her, glancing over at Kikyou, he could see that she was frowning, wondering what Kagome was doing as well. He shrugged. He would do as she asked - he knew that she wouldn't do anything stupid.

What he saw was beautiful beyond compare, and it warmed him... for a few moments. Her soul was light, and love, and nothing could mar that, ever - but as he looked closer, he began to see one part of her soul that was... different, for lack of a better word. Focusing harder on that one part, he suddenly realized that it was different because it wasn't her - it was a small portion of his father's soul, and it existed within her own. And the small part of her soul that would have been there, was instead....

Finally, he understood what they had all been trying to tell him, and bitter pain went through him with the knowledge. His father and Kagome really were soul-mates. They literally lived within each other's souls, and there was nothing he could ever do to change that. He pulled back from the link in rejection, not wanting to accept what he was seeing, but knowing that the fight was over - and he would never win.

For just an instant, in his jealousy and bitterness, he thought of forcing their hands - of making them all stay in hell, together... but then, he realized that even if she didn't love him, he would always love her - and he couldn't be responsible for her death, or the other onna he loved.

He had to set them both free.

It was the only way to atone for his actions, and for the pain and grief he'd caused his friends - and his father, as well. He'd felt the pain at the seperation from his mate in the portion of his soul that lived within Kagome's.

He bowed his head, unable to bear looking into her eyes, and said the words he'd sworn not to say... "I give up, I will fight no more. I accept that you're mate to my father - I won't hold us here."

At that, she smiled and felt relief go through her, and watched as Kikyou and Inuyasha looked at each other. Her smile left her, though, as she realized that for these two, there was much to make up - and it was highly possible that they would never again be together. There had just been so much pain between them that it may not be possible to work past that to anything meaningful again. A melancholy sigh passed her lips and tears pressed against her eyelids for a moment... and then she put it away. There was something else to think about right now.

Such as, how to get out of this place of darkness. Looking around, her eyes lit on Kanna - and suddenly, she remembered the words the child had spoken earlier.

Crouching down near the girl, she looked her in the eye, gasping when she saw, for the first time, some evidence of emotion, and asked, "Kanna, what did you mean earlier about my light saving us?"

Kanna looked back at her, and slowly, a tiny, tentative smile stretched her pale cheeks, and she turned and pointed upward. "Your light - the light of your soul will release us. It is too pure, too beautiful to be trapped in hell. This place cannot contain it. You must take the jewel, and pour your light into it, and let it magnify it - and then use it to illuminate this darkness. That is all - the rest will come."

Kagome's eyes had widened just a bit at the smile, and the words she'd spoken - that was the most the child had ever spoken, but then she smiled back at the little girl, and nodded. "Okay. Thanks for telling me, Kanna. I'll try it."

Following the little void childs words, she took the jewel, and holding it up, poured everything of herself into it, all her light, and love, letting the power build until everyone had to close their eyes and turn away, and then, at the same time as she grabbed Reikonken, she poured the power forth, letting it light up the eternal darkness of hell, and waited for what would happen next.

With a cry of pain and anger, the Master of that realm drew back from that light, opening the portal back to the mortal world. Light such as hers, after all, could not exist in his kingdom.

As the portal opened, Kagome could feel the pulse of Tenseiga, and using it to guide her, poured out the last of her strength to get them through the portal, and they emerged just as it closed. As her eyes opened on the battlefield they'd left behind earlier, she began to fall, her mind shutting down as her body gave out, exhaustion finally claiming her.

Her mind was already asleep as she landed in the arms of her beloved mate...

That was the last four minutes she would ever spend in hell.

---zZz---

Sugimi and the group had all sat down within the vicinity of the place that their friends had disappeared, settling in for what could possibly be a long wait. He had already explained to them that if Kagome didn't manage to get through to Inuyasha, then he, himself would also pass - going back into the afterlife to join his mate... and so, at least they would know what it meant if he disappeared from among them.

After that, there was no further talk, as everyone sat silently, as though at a vigil for the tiny miko that had, in one way or another, brought them all together. Some of the group merely pondered on the things she had wrought in her time with them, and some prayed to their gods for her safe return... and one used his link with her to send all his love and need to her - so that she would know what she was fighting for, and not lose hope. He could feel her determination through the bond, and the portion of her soul within his own, and he grasped onto that, letting her know that he had no intentions of letting her go.

It was enough. He could feel an upsurge of power through her soul the likes of which he'd never felt before, and he knew that she'd won, and was coming back - bringing them all through, so he moved forward, and just as the group returned through another portal, the same as the one that had swallowed them, he reached out and caught his mate in his arms as she finally let her exhaustion take hold of her, and fell into a healing sleep.

Before the eyes of everyone left standing on the field, the ones that had gone to hell returned...

Alive.