InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Poison of Erised! ❯ Chapter Thirteen - One Soul, Two Souls, Tormented Heart! ( Chapter 13 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Vyncent 
::She is going to die if we cannot do something to help her soon.......::
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.12.2005 | Updated On: 12.11.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.7K | Visits: 1.5K | Status: Work In Progress
::She is going to die if we cannot do something to help her soon.......::
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.12.2005 | Updated On: 12.11.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.7K | Visits: 1.5K | Status: Work In Progress
The Poison of Erised!
by Vyncent
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::This story contains GRAPHIC violence, sexual content! You are WARNED::
Parts of this graphic, and of an adult nature, or violent, and will NOT be posted to FanFiction.net...
It is being posted to AdultFanFiction. net and MediaMiner. org
If you do not like such content, then please be advised that this fic may not be appealing to you. Please do not read this if such content is offensive to you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.
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Chapter Thirteen - One Soul, Two Souls, Tormented Heart!
Kagome had been lying awake for several moments before she had stood up to run. She had not expected the words that Inuyasha had said, and they hurt her deeply. She knew that Inuyasha thought lowly of her, but she had not believed that he had truly found her of so little value. She had at least thought that he might care for her as a friend. His words, however, suggested that she was more of a burden than she had ever believed possible, and that Inuyasha despised her for being so weak.
A small voice in the back of her mind chided her for being so surprised by his words. After all, Inuyasha always found something about her that Kikyou did better that she did. Kikyou was beautiful, much more powerful, able to control her powers, and was excellent at the use of the bow. That was something that Kagome could not lay claim to.
As she continued to run blindly down the path that she had chosen at random, she paid little heed to her direction or any obstacles that might impede her way. The pain of his words hurt to much, and the shame of knowing that she could never measure up to his standards of perfection because of her incarnate, held sway over the rush of torment running through her mind. Her torment was such that it not only hurt emotionally, but hurt physically, as well. The physical pain of any bodily injuries was nothing, to the seemingly physical pain of her heart.
More than anything she wanted and needed desperately to find solace. Solace from someone who really cared for her as she was, not someone that she was not. Unfortunately, while she knew that Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, all cared for her and appreciated who she was, their compassion did not fill that deeper need that only someone special could fulfill.
She felt a pulse of pain on her shoulder, where it met her neck. It was not enough to distract her, but at the pulse there seemed to be a sudden flash of white before her eyes. It was all too brief, and seemed to be gone even before she could notice it. While it slowed her pace a bit, it was not enough to distract her thoughts, or the hurtful words that filled her mind, and she continued to run further and deeper into the dark forest.
Like a mantra of torment, Inuyasha's words both now and from the past continued to run through her head. She could not shake the feelings they caused, any more than she could shake their sound in her mind. Each recalled memory of his reassurance of her lack of ability, only added to the torture that she already felt to her very soul.
Again, there was a pulse of pain at the junction of her neck and shoulder. It was a bit stronger this time, but still not enough to divert the onna's attention. Just as before, a another flash of white seemed to briefly cloud her vision, and although her step briefly faltered, and it lasted a bit longer, the grief stricken girl paid it no heed. She was still too caught up in the emotional pain of the hanyou's badly chosen words that the physical world was hardly noticeable. As blindly has she started, she continued to run, unheeding of the path ahead, behind, or the forest around her, or even that it was the dark of night, and the dense forest blocked what little light that Sister Moon might have been gracing the world with at that moment.
She knew that she was being selfish, and wallowing in her own self pity, but over their long journey together the harsh and unkind words had gradually dug their way deep into her heart. One can only take such recriminations for so long. After a point the mind comes to believe in the truth of those claims, even if many of them are unfounded. Such was the case for the sorrow filled Miko, as she continued in her efforts to escape the pain such uncaring terms had created.
To her eternal shame, she was always aware of how worthless she was, and although she knew that she was a burden to the others, she also realized that she still had a responsibility to continue to search for the shards. Even if she could do nothing else truly useful or worthwhile, she could sense the shards. Although she offered no other skill or ability of any real purpose, she knew she was needed because of that one small, but valuable ability.
In his more unguarded moments, Inuyasha had been known to compliment her on various things that she did. Usually, however that was only when whatever happened was so unexpected that he was temporarily stunned by the action and to shocked for words.
Otherwise, the hanyou seemed unwilling to compliment her on almost anything that she could do. She knew that she was of little worth to the group, so she did her best at what she could accomplish, and tried every possible to be useful in the ways needed by the group that didn't always require combat.
Treating and bandaging injuries with the medical treatments and knowledge of her time. Providing some of the much needed food that they all shared, saving them immense amounts of time and effort that would otherwise be required to hunt and prepare their own food, or money needed to buy from whatever merchants they might encounter. Sure Miroku was good at getting them into inns in various places and food to go along with it, but his methods did not always work, and oftentimes they were too far from any towns or villages to buy their supplies.
She had also taken the time to learn from Kaede about the naturally growing herbs of the time and the various things that they were used to treat. At her mother's urging, she had even taken to studying first aid in her time, at least as much as she could with the limited about of time that Inuyasha would permit her to visit with her family, or she could force him to allow. Still it was not easy even then to find the time, especially when she was trying to hard to at least finish school with passing, if not excellent grades. She had even taken a course in CPR and with the ever present threat of various kinds of poisons, she had taken to studying about those through online courses that she could take at her own pace when she was able to go home.
All-in-all, it had seriously increased her knowledge of how to deal with the various kinds of injuries that they often were afflicted with while on their dangerous ventures. Unfortunately, even that was apparently not enough to suit Inuyasha. In fact, when he had chided her on having 'wasted' the time to learn these new things, he scoffed at her and would not allow her to even explain the value that such skill could provide. He seemingly held no thanks or gratitude when those same skills and lessons helped her to heal some of the many injuries that he himself suffered, what with his headlong rush into almost every battle.
Still sobbing, Kagome could not help the strong feeling of despair that seemed to threaten to become overwhelming. As her anxiety grew along with her depression, so did the pain. Once more the pain from her neck pulsed, but this time it was enough to at least grab her attention. Just as before that sudden flash crossed her vision, and again her step faltered. While still brief, this time it was long enough to grab her attention and left her blinking her eyes to try to clear what at first seemed like a white haze.
She narrowly missing tripping over a gnarled old tree root in the nearly unnoticeable path that she had been blindly following. Although it was a bit slower than before, she still continued to her headlong flight. Between the painful feelings, and the ever building confusion of all that had transpired over the past nearly three weeks, she readily shook off what seemed like some passing and insignificant interruption.
Why was all this happening to her? If only something would allow her to at least remember some of what might have transpired. If Sango and Miroku were right, was it possible that the person, who had done this to her, did so because they wanted her? Did it mean that they cared for her, or was it just because they wanted to just use her to get back at Inuyasha? If their reasoning was right, was it possible that this was caused by Sesshoumaru?
While Inuyasha might feel that it would be beneath the Great and Powerful Taiyoukai of the West, it was almost common knowledge that he allowed a small ningen to follow him, and that he cared for her enough to protect her from any danger. Besides, if he was truly that cold and heartless, then how could he get the Tenseiga to work for him.
Still, Inuyasha made some very valid points. What did Kagome have that Sesshoumaru would even be remotely interested in? She certainly was not worth looking at, she was not that good with a bow, knew no other weapon to speak of, not that she really wanted to, and as for power...that was to laugh. She could not even call upon her powers except in extreme emotional situations.
With those things being totally against her, the only possible option would be that IF Sesshoumaru was the one behind this theory of Sango and Miroku's, the only possible reason would be if he was trying once again to get Tetsusaiga. That, however, didn't make any more sense than the idea of the Youkai Lord wanting her. Why would he want a sword that he could not possibly use?
Oh, he had tried, once with a borrowed ningen arm obtained from a misguided agreement with Naraku, and later when he was battling Inuyasha against Sou'unga. The arm might have worked, especially with the aid of the jewel shard. Unfortunately, it had proven to be far too limited to be truly effective, especially once Inuyasha had torn it off, and it was made apparent by Naraku later, that he intended to take back the shard. Besides, it was only worth using as long as he had the shard, and from what they all knew of the Taiyoukai, if it was not his own power and strength, he was not one to use something like a piece of the Shikon no Tama. He much preferred to rely strictly on his own abilities, knowing that they were not something that would be stolen by some power hungry passerby.
While he had been able to make use of the Great Fang when he was defending Rin and Jaken against Sou'unga while Inuyasha was under the effects of the vile youkai sword, he had only managed to wield its mighty powers at a very painful price. His hand had been seriously burnt, enough to actually bring him for a moment to his knees. In that moment, it was more than obvious that he would never be allowed to truly wield the mighty sword.
Was it possible then that Sesshoumaru was only doing this to get his revenge on Inuyasha? If he was indeed the one to cause all of the current unusual events that seemed to be surrounding her, then was it only because he sought some means to make his half brother pay for any injustice that he felt he had suffered?
Something deep inside told Kagome that this was the only reason that the Great Taiyoukai would have any real interest in her. She was after all, merely a weak, useless, and disgusting ningen. She offered nothing to anyone, and was of no real value to anybody. Perhaps Sesshoumaru thought that if he could inflict harm to her, then Inuyasha would suffer from the resulting turmoil. That was to laugh considering that the inu hanyou was far more caught up in the undead miko, than the living breathing one.
The thought almost made Kagome want to laugh. She might have under any other circumstances, but this was most certainly not one of them. The irony, however, was not totally lost to her. Neither was the irony of how much she would have liked to lead a normal life, however, there were varying degrees of normal, and living in modern day Tokyo for Kagome was not necessarily her version of normal.
Boring? Yeah! Normal? Not for Kagome. So much of her life had changed. She had experienced so much in all of her Feudal Era travels. Sure there were many things about the modern age that she loved, and enjoyed. Hell, even she had to admit that some of the conveniences would be more than just sorely missed. The bottom line however, was that she had changed so much from what all of those in the future considered normal that a mundane life in that time was unthinkable, even if she continued to try to keep up her school work and outward appearances for her friends back home.
She knew that her life was in the Feudal Era, despite all of the inconveniences of the lifestyle. She had people that she cared about, and who seemed to care about her. They were almost as much her family as were her mother, grandpa, and little brother. She was never in doubt how much they all meant to her, and for the most part, she knew how they all felt about her, but then that was also part of the current problem. It was obvious that Inuyasha thought that she was more of a bother and in the way than anything, and that her only redeeming quality was that she could sense the jewel shards.
All of this tumbled and ran through her head, almost faster than she could really follow. The circle of ever growing confusion, and pain just kept building until it was almost at a fevered pitch. The more the words echoed in the far reaches of her mind, the more her thoughts jumbled and refused to focus on any one thing for long. At moments it seemed to all flow and make sense, there even appeared to be brief moments when it all formed a logical path. Unfortunately, just as she was about to grasp the threads and get them to connect, it all was shattered by the next echo of a remembered put down.
Another pulse of pain lanced from the spot on her neck, and this time it was more than just noticeable. This time it clearly grabbed her attention and she lost her footing stumbling and finally falling to the ground. She hardly felt the impact that she had on her knees with the ground. Just as before her eye sight clouded over and all that flashed before her eyes was a shear white brilliance.
It seemed familiar and yet not, like something that she had seen before. It didn't feel cold, but while it seemed to make her feel warm, it didn't seem to offer a warmth of its own. Before she could try to puzzle it out, the white brilliance faded and then for a moment the real world seemed to try to regain focus. Before it could, however, the intense pain that had been steadily increasing from the spot on her neck, suddenly became like a spear of fire and lanced right through her head.
Kagome screamed with the overwhelmingly intense pain, her head feeling like it was being cleaved open. She felt like something was trying to tear her very soul in two, and in fact it felt like her whole body was trying to split apart. The heart wrenching sound tore through the night for miles around, shaking the hearts and souls of all who heard.
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Initially, Sango had thought that Kagome would run as she had before, just a short distance away and then stop to let herself try to cope with the over powering emotional turmoil that the Taijiya knew would her friend and 'sister' would be going through. She was surprised when after a few minutes of running calmly along the path that the young Miko didn't come into view.
"Kirara," she said to her currently small neko friend, "can you tell where Kagome is? She seems to have gone much farther than I would have though she would go."
The small neko mononoke took a brief second to sniff the air, her own concern for the young onna apparent in her stance. After a couple of seconds, she offered her companion a mewl of yes, and jump in front of the Taijiya and transformed into her large battle ready form. Taking the hint, Sango readily and easily leaped to her back, and the two were off in a rush to help their pack sister.
Both were completely surprised at how far Kagome had run. For a ningen, she should not have been able to run that far or traveled that fast. The evidence, however, refuted that concept as already they were what would have been about a half day's casual walk from their camp and still Kagome was not in sight. Trusting that Kirara could tell where the young onna was, Sango continued to scan the area before them, looking for any sight of the little Miko.
She feared that with the nearly pitch black darkness of the night, under the forest canopy that she might miss finding Kagome. Even with the bright patch that her white shirt would make, Sango knew that it would be difficult to locate the girl. It didn't stop her from continuing to try,
By this time, with Kirara's help, Sango had managed to finally catch up to the sorrow stricken onna. As she came in sight of Kagome, Sango was sure it look like Kagome was trying to keep her head from splitting in two. She felt her own heart cry out to the young onna before her, as the sound of her pain filled and heart wrenching scream tore through the night. She immediately did the instinctive thing and tried to go to the young Miko, but before she could move to the young girl's aid, she felt something push her back and block her way.
She bore witness to the sudden flare of golden light that seemed to spring from Kagome and surround her very being, but paid little heed to the sight being more concerned with the obvious pain that Kagome was in. Sango was about to approach the fallen onna again, but stopped when she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. She turned briefly to see that it was Miroku, and gave him a questioning look.
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Shippou and Miroku had been traveling a short time. While short, it was long enough that they too, were beginning to worry about what had happened to Kagome and also to Sango. Both knew that Kirara was with Sango and were sure that she was alright, but it had seemed odd that they had not encountered them yet, even though they had traveled quite a distance.
"Shippou," spoke up Miroku some what breathlessly, as they had already run quite a distance, "Can you catch the scent of either of the girls?"
Shippou, who was perched on the houshi's shoulder, took a long whiff of the night breeze and sorted through the news that it brought to his diminutive nostrils.
"Hai," returned the kitsune, "but they seem a lot farther off than I would have thought possible, especially for Kagome. In fact, it seems that Kirara has transformed to carry Sango, and they are moving away very quickly."
"Can you carry me to them faster?" Miroku looked to the young kit.
"I can try," came the ready reply, and before Miroku knew it, he was afloat on a large pink bubble like Shippou, with eyes, mouth, and odd appendages sticking out in just enough places to know that they were his no useless arms and legs.
With as much haste as the little kitsune could muster, they were soon pressing forward at a much better clip and gaining ground rapidly on the bright spot ahead that could be seen now as Kirara flying along with Sango on her back. Shippou pushed himself with every ounce of strength he possessed. He knew he could not travel far, especially in this form and carrying the weight of a full grown ningen.
Still, he would risk everything he was to help Kagome, and if that mean exhausting his last ounce of strength, then so be it. She needed the comfort of her friends right now, and that was all that truly matter.
Much to their relief, the two struggling travelers had nearly caught up with Sango and Kirara. They saw the Taijiya and neko land, and were witness to her attempt to reach their pack sister. Miroku could feel the waves of pain, and power that were emanating from the unknowingly powerful young Miko. What surprised him at the moment, however, was not that Sango was pushed back, or that there was even a barrier around the young onna.
No! What surprised him at the sight before him was that their seemed almost to be two souls. It was just like two souls were fighting to keep from being torn apart. This puzzled the hentai houshi, while at the same time leaving him in awe of the very sight. Why was a youkai soul, seemingly tied to a ningen soul, both apparently bound to the same being. One who even now let out the most heart wrenching, pain filled scream that he had ever heard, a scream that tore at his own heart, begging him to rush to her side and offer any aid that he could.
Miroku know, however, that to do so could be taking on a death wish. Even standing a few feet away from the barrier that he had just saw Sango attempt to go through, he could feel the nearly painful itchy tingling all over his skin, giving him a feeling of something living crawling all over him.
With the last drop of strength that the young kitsune had, he just had enough left to make sure that Miroku was not unceremoniously dropped to the ground. As soon as he felt the houshi's weight leave his back, Shippou returned to his normal form, and almost collapsed right where he stood. He most likely would have, had he not been so worried about the onna that he thought of as a mother figure.
As it was, both he and Miroku were just in time to keep Sango from making another effort to try to reach the young Miko. Being so close to the barrier surrounding Kagome, was almost too painful for the young kit to stand. Regardless of his exhaustion and the pain, Shippou was determined to stay with the others and see this through. Kagome needed help, and he would not abandoned her for anything.
Now perched once again on Miroku's shoulder, Shippou watched as the houshi stepped forward, and put a restraining had on Sango's shoulder.
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The storm of anger and torment that seemed to threaten his very sanity, left Inuyasha sitting where he had been when the others had left. How stupid and thoughtless could he get? Every word that the houshi had said was true, and he knew it.
Yet for the life if him, he was always opening his big mouth and saying the wrong things and of all things, at the wrong time. Now once again, his loose tongue had flapped in the breeze and the one person who meant almost more to him than life itself was out there, somewhere in the dark, while his friends were off to her aid.
The truth was that Inuyasha was afraid that he was in love with the young Miko, who had befriended him nearly five years ago. She had stuck by him through thick and thin, and taught him to trust again. She had shown him how to believe that he could make a place for himself in this world, one that was filled with friends, and who knew, maybe even a family one day.
As much as he looked forward to such a life, Inuyasha was still a very scared hanyou. For so long he had suffered just because of who and what he was, and it was so hard to honestly believe that there were those who were happy with him being exactly who and what he was.
'Inu no baka,' he growled in his own mind, 'If they were handing out prizes for being a complete jerk and total fool, I would probably win it hands down.'
'How completely stupid can I get?' his thoughts continued, 'I don't need to have others make a fool of me, especially when I seem so good at doing that for myself. Kagome gives me so much, and yet I seem to almost give her nothing. Sure I protect her, but then, she has protected me often enough. She has cried for me, nearly died for me, faced the same dangers with me, and what thanks do I give her? More pain and heartache.'
'Why can't I just tell her how I really feel?' he chided himself, remembering all of the times when it was Kagome's fiery spirit and sunny smile that seem to brighten even the cloudiest of days. 'Kikyou could never do that. She was always to solemn and reserved. It would have been beneath her dignity to be so carefree and cheerful. Besides, Miroku was right. Kikyou may have loved me, but she wanted me as a ningen, not hanyou or youkai.'
'Truth is,' he considered, 'that I do not hate her, and if I am honest, I do not really resent her. Kagome is so warm and caring. She is always there for us...for me...even when I am a complete jerk.'
'Whether I want to admit it or not,' he reflected, 'I am afraid. I am scared that someone has used this Potion that Sango mentioned on Kagome, and has already done what I should have a long time ago. Someone has laid claim to her, and now I can no longer have her as mine. What am I going to do, if they take Kagome away?'
The hanyou was lost in thought, and his own confusion and worries about the situation did nothing to ease his own inner turmoil. Just as he was going to try to consider what options they might have, and try to see if he could figure out some of the answers to their dilemma, an ear piercing, heart wrenching, pain filled scream tore through the air.
At the sound his own heart felt like it was ripped from his own chest. That was Kagome's scream, and it didn't sound good at all. Before that first echo could follow on the heels of the original sound, a red blur could see faintly seen in the dark of the night, tearing through the woods like his own life depended on him reaching the source of that sound.
With only one thought filling every possible corner of his mind, Inuyasha raced like he had never done before. 'I am coming Kagome. Onegai, be alright!'
Even before he caught up to the others, he could feel the enormous power that seemed to be filling the area. It was far stronger than anything that he had ever felt before, even from his own half brother, Sesshoumaru. It was odd in many ways and on many levels, as it felt one moment like youki, and then another moment like a Miko's power.
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"Why do you prevent me from going to her?" Sango cried, her worry evident, and coloured by a bit of anger at his actions. Realizing that if Miroku was keeping her from going towards Kagome, there had to be a good reason, the Taijiya restrained herself from taking the action she most wanted to do.
"The power flaring around her is not right somehow. Can't you feel it?" he asked of the Taijiya.
Sango took a moment to let her senses register what was happening before her, and she realized what Miroku was saying was true. There was something different about the power emanating from the young onna. It was obviously, at least in large part her Miko powers, but there was something else at work here, too. While it didn't feel sinister, it did seem to have a darker feel to it.
"You are right," Sango nodded, "and I have never seen Kagome-chan's powers behave like that before. Could this be a side effect of that Potion we spoke of? Is it possible that her Miko powers are fighting whatever this is doing to her?"
"Hai," was his concerned reply, "The problem here is that there seem to be two forces at work, one opposing the other. From the way this feels, one is definitely youki in origin and the other is her own Miko abilities. If we try to approach her while she is unstable, she might accidentally harm us, or even kill us without meaning to."
"But we have to do something to help," Shippou cried from the houshi's shoulder, "Surely she will not harm one of her friends!"
"She may not have a choice," Miroku sighed, hiding his own desperation as he tried to offer emotional support as best he could under the circumstances. "If Kagome is unaware of the her surroundings, especially because of the apparent intensity of the pain, she may be unable to distinguish us as friend or foe."
Sango and Shippou just looked at Miroku with completely horrified expressions. What was happening to Kagome? Why? Would she survive this latest ordeal? Unfortunately, just as with everything else, there were more questions than answers and little that they could do. Their sense of helplessness was growing by the minute, and their friend's pain filled cries were tearing at their hearts. This whole thing was getting more and more frustrating by the hour and it seemed the Fate was destined to keep the answers to this dilemma from them at all costs.
As they watched, the glow around her seemed to suddenly divide into two separate and individual powers. A red one that Miroku confirmed was the youki that he sensed, and Kagome's own pure blue one. Another ear shattering scream was wrenched from her lips, as still gripping her head tightly, she arched backwards, her face turned to the sky and arcs of incredible energy began wrapping around her body.
It was about this time that Inuyasha came rushing up having heard the screams of the young Miko. Even in his head long rush to find out what was happening to her, he was drawn up short at the feel of the incredible waves of power that were pouring off of the girl before him.
"Why are you all just standing around here doing nothing?" he screamed at the others, "Are you blind, and deaf, as well as stupid?"
"Inuyasha! Iie, don't go near her," yelled Miroku.
Despite Miroku's warning, Inuyasha tried to reach Kagome. He didn't even know what he could do for her even if he could reach her. All that he knew was that he had to try.
Unfortunately, just as he reached the edge of the power field that was surrounding her, he was violently thrown back and through five trees before he came to a stop, too stunned from the shock of the action and the impact themselves to move right away. Still, after a few moments, he struggled to his feet and returned to his friends’ side as they all stood helplessly watching as Kagome continued to scream in what had to be the most excruciating pain that she had ever experienced.
He could not take the sound of her pain any more and once again, Inuyasha tried again to breach the barrier that seemed to surround Kagome. As before, he was thrown back violently, this time twice the distance as before. It took longer for him to get up, but he did nonetheless. Determined to reach Kagome no matter what, Inuyasha again tried to reach her. Again, he was thrown, and again with more force that before.
That stubborn part of the hanyou that stood him in good stead when he stood on a battle field facing an opponent, took charge of his actions even now. Deep in his heart, he knew that he had something to do with what was causing her pain, and he could not bring himself to back down if there was even a chance that he could reach her and help her in anyway.
For her part, Kagome could hear nothing from around her. Her world had narrowed down to one of intense pain and longing. It was like there was something that was missing that she needed so badly to help her hold herself together. Without whatever it was, she felt like she was being torn asunder and there was nothing she could anchor herself to, in order fight what was happening and stop the pain.
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With the rays of the setting sun, a flash of glittering white could be barely seen racing along at such a speed that it seemed to be but a brief flicker of something almost glowing. It was a most remarkable sight, provided one didn't blink and was looking in exactly the right direction, at exactly the right time to catch a glimpse of the being that was passing through on his way to a very specific area just to the south and east of where he had been.
To the unknowing, he might have appeared to be in something of a rush. That, however, was far from the truth. At the moment, he was merely allowing himself one of the few and occasional luxuries that he could take pleasure in when traveling alone. Being a predator at heart, and of the Great and Renown Inu Clan, one of the very first things that all pups learn was how to run. Running was an important part of being an Inu and to be successful in the hunt, one had to be able to out run any and all prey, or to even be fast enough to turn one's opponent into one's prey. That was the law of the hunt.
As such, and also being a warrior of immense power and skill, keeping one's skill at peak efficiency was always of the utmost importance. Well, at least it made for a good excuse to just run as fast as possible just because you could. Besides there was something pleasurable in the feel of having the wind whipping through your hair and across your face as you dashed forward, letting the feel of freedom give you such a rush as to make you almost breathless in excitement.
Besides, it had been sometime since the Great Taiyoukai had taken the time to hunt, and nothing could surpass the thrill of the hunt. Well, almost nothing. At that moment, his own inner Beast was telling him that there was at least one other thing that could surpass the thrill, and despite himself, he found that he had to agree on that idea. The very thought of three very wondrous nights and the accompanying thrill that they had provided created such a warm and glorious feeling rushing along the Youkai Lord's spine that just as on the way to the old fujo's home, he almost stumbled in his head long rush forward.
With a grace and poise of such skill as to make any dancer envious, Sesshoumaru recovered himself with a barely noticeable reduction in his forward momentum and nothing more. As he continued on his trek, he let loose a growl to himself for not being more alert and for letting his Blood Beast once again distract him. Unfortunately, over the past two and one half days, his Beast had begun to take a great deal of pleasure in doing such things to him. It had almost become a game to see just how much of a annoyance the more primal side of himself could be.
Listening to the amused chuckle the emanated from the darkest recesses of his mind, was an aggravating thing. Sesshoumaru was not convinced that he would get used to it, but on some level he knew that he had to, and do so as quickly as possible. As it turned out, the cause of all of this was in part his own fault, and while he didn't like to admit to faults any more than necessary, he had to accept at least to himself that he had been the cause of this problem and he therefore, had to accept responsibility for the matter.
The good news, however, was that at least he would not be alone in working out the issues of control. As it turned out, the focal point of the problem, was also the control of the Great Taiyoukai's inner Beast. A brief flash of a most alluring image flashed before his eyes, once again interfering with his traveling, at his growl of anger he again heard that annoying chuckle that he was beginning to learn to hate.
::I grow impatient to be back with our mate?::
*If that were truly so, then you would not be trying your best to interfere with my efforts to get back to my brother's pack and her side.*
::Yeah! Well, I would not interfere if you would just go faster.::
At that remark, the Great Lord slowed his pace even further, to the seemingly never ending frustration of his Youkai. This time, it was the Great Lord's turn to chuckle at the expense of his bestial half only further annoying the Blood Beast within.
::Now I remember why I always found you annoying! GGGgggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!::
*You know, if the two of us just cooperated more, it would be far less annoying for both of us. Even the old fujo stated that!*
::True! But then she was at a loss for why we are now the way we are, too! I doubt that she even knew what she was talking about.::
*Some of what you say is true, however, keep in mind that she has been alive for more than 2000 years. She spent more than half of that time developing the very Potion that has given us that which my brother no longer possesses. Thanks to her, we have not only got the means to take our revenge upon the half breed, but we also now hold a treasure more valuable than even the Fangs of our Great and Terrible Father.*
::My, wordy today aren't we?::
*Gggggrrrrrrrrr! Keep being annoying and we will stop here for the night!::
At the prospect of another night away from the female that the both sides of Sesshoumaru now accepted as their mate, the Blood Beast's less sophisticated side showed itself to his counterpart.
::^Whimper!^ You wouldn't!::
*I wou............*
At that moment a sudden overwhelming rush of emotional pain so intense that is was felt like a physical blow to his gut, hit Sesshoumaru with the force of being hit by half of a mountain side. Despite his great endurance and control, he was dropped to the ground before him. He tried to return to his feet, but found the pain to much to mentally push past.
By now the most intense anguish that he had ever known was hammering at the inside of his skull. As he grabbed his head with his hands, like he was trying to keep it from splitting in two, he felt a pulse of fiery pain sear from his neck to his already tortured head. It felt like someone was ramming a blazing hot knife into the mating mark on his neck. The pain was so intense that the voice of his Blood Beast sounded almost like a whisper, even though he knew his Inu was screaming. Exerting every ounce of his renown control that he could muster, it still took Sesshoumaru a few moments to push enough of the pain aside, so that he could focus on what his own Beast was saying.
::She is hurting! Something is happening to her. We have to get to her now! RIGHT NOW!::
*Hai!* was all that the Youkai Lord could manage as the immense pain threatened to overwhelm what little control he had. *I cannot hold back the pain and function at the same time. Pain...too...intense....!*
::Then you focus on holding down the pain, and let me focus on getting us moving. I can't control our body unless you allow it.::
For several moments that felt like an eternity, Sesshoumaru fought for control over the pain. It was torturously slow, nevertheless he was making some progress. Unfortunately, it was not fast enough, and the sense of urgency was getting to be almost as overwhelming as the pain itself. In frustration his Inu spoke up once more.
::She is going to die if we cannot do something to help her soon. Even if you can get control over the pain, and let me have control of our body, there is no way that we could get to her in time to save her. There has to be something else that we can do.::
It was so hard to think...to reason...with so much pain to try to cope with. Sesshoumaru knew that they had to do something and quickly or their mate would die, and if she did, he didn't even want to think about what might happen to him. His Inu reprimanded him for even thinking of her dying. He agreed, and thrust the thought away, once more working to control the pain so that they could help Kagome.
*There is one possibility that we can use, but I have never tried it myself.*
::Right now, I do not care what we do, just that we do it and do it NOW!::
*Alright! But I need for you to help me to push back on the pain. I need to be able to concentrate on something other than the pain.*
::Anything! Just hurry!::
At that the Taiyoukai's body suddenly went completely limp and to anyone who might have been near, he looked for all the world like he was dead. Except for a barrier that was now protecting his prone form, there was no visible sign of life in his body. Where it had been tossing and writhing in agony only moments ago, it now lay like one of the dead, almost glowing softly in the last rays of the now setting sun.
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Dictionary
Baka - Idiot
Chikushou - Beast, Brute, Damn
Doushite - Why
Fujo - Witch
Hanyou - Half Demon
Hiraikotsu - actually translates as 'Come Flying Skills' and is the name of Sango's boomerang
Houshi - Monk
Inu - Dog
Kazaana - Wind Void/Tunnel - Miroku's curse from Naraku
Kitsune - Fox Demon
Miko - Shrine Maiden
Mononoke - Animal Spirit - Kirara would be considered an mononoke as she has no human form
Neko - Cat
Okaa-san - Mother
Onee - Older Sister
Onna - Woman
Sama - Lady or Lord - respectively
Shakoju - Staff - the one that Miroku carries and wields
Shimatta - Damn it
Shikon no Kakera - Shikon Shards
Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls
Shishi - Lion
Taijiya - Demon Exterminator
Taiyoukai - Demon Lord
Tenshi - Angel
Tenseiga - Sacred Life Fang
Tetsusaiga - Iron Pulverizing Fang
Youkai - Demon
===============================
by Vyncent
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::This story contains GRAPHIC violence, sexual content! You are WARNED::
Parts of this graphic, and of an adult nature, or violent, and will NOT be posted to FanFiction.net...
It is being posted to AdultFanFiction. net and MediaMiner. org
If you do not like such content, then please be advised that this fic may not be appealing to you. Please do not read this if such content is offensive to you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.
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Chapter Thirteen - One Soul, Two Souls, Tormented Heart!
Kagome had been lying awake for several moments before she had stood up to run. She had not expected the words that Inuyasha had said, and they hurt her deeply. She knew that Inuyasha thought lowly of her, but she had not believed that he had truly found her of so little value. She had at least thought that he might care for her as a friend. His words, however, suggested that she was more of a burden than she had ever believed possible, and that Inuyasha despised her for being so weak.
A small voice in the back of her mind chided her for being so surprised by his words. After all, Inuyasha always found something about her that Kikyou did better that she did. Kikyou was beautiful, much more powerful, able to control her powers, and was excellent at the use of the bow. That was something that Kagome could not lay claim to.
As she continued to run blindly down the path that she had chosen at random, she paid little heed to her direction or any obstacles that might impede her way. The pain of his words hurt to much, and the shame of knowing that she could never measure up to his standards of perfection because of her incarnate, held sway over the rush of torment running through her mind. Her torment was such that it not only hurt emotionally, but hurt physically, as well. The physical pain of any bodily injuries was nothing, to the seemingly physical pain of her heart.
More than anything she wanted and needed desperately to find solace. Solace from someone who really cared for her as she was, not someone that she was not. Unfortunately, while she knew that Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, all cared for her and appreciated who she was, their compassion did not fill that deeper need that only someone special could fulfill.
She felt a pulse of pain on her shoulder, where it met her neck. It was not enough to distract her, but at the pulse there seemed to be a sudden flash of white before her eyes. It was all too brief, and seemed to be gone even before she could notice it. While it slowed her pace a bit, it was not enough to distract her thoughts, or the hurtful words that filled her mind, and she continued to run further and deeper into the dark forest.
Like a mantra of torment, Inuyasha's words both now and from the past continued to run through her head. She could not shake the feelings they caused, any more than she could shake their sound in her mind. Each recalled memory of his reassurance of her lack of ability, only added to the torture that she already felt to her very soul.
Again, there was a pulse of pain at the junction of her neck and shoulder. It was a bit stronger this time, but still not enough to divert the onna's attention. Just as before, a another flash of white seemed to briefly cloud her vision, and although her step briefly faltered, and it lasted a bit longer, the grief stricken girl paid it no heed. She was still too caught up in the emotional pain of the hanyou's badly chosen words that the physical world was hardly noticeable. As blindly has she started, she continued to run, unheeding of the path ahead, behind, or the forest around her, or even that it was the dark of night, and the dense forest blocked what little light that Sister Moon might have been gracing the world with at that moment.
She knew that she was being selfish, and wallowing in her own self pity, but over their long journey together the harsh and unkind words had gradually dug their way deep into her heart. One can only take such recriminations for so long. After a point the mind comes to believe in the truth of those claims, even if many of them are unfounded. Such was the case for the sorrow filled Miko, as she continued in her efforts to escape the pain such uncaring terms had created.
To her eternal shame, she was always aware of how worthless she was, and although she knew that she was a burden to the others, she also realized that she still had a responsibility to continue to search for the shards. Even if she could do nothing else truly useful or worthwhile, she could sense the shards. Although she offered no other skill or ability of any real purpose, she knew she was needed because of that one small, but valuable ability.
In his more unguarded moments, Inuyasha had been known to compliment her on various things that she did. Usually, however that was only when whatever happened was so unexpected that he was temporarily stunned by the action and to shocked for words.
Otherwise, the hanyou seemed unwilling to compliment her on almost anything that she could do. She knew that she was of little worth to the group, so she did her best at what she could accomplish, and tried every possible to be useful in the ways needed by the group that didn't always require combat.
Treating and bandaging injuries with the medical treatments and knowledge of her time. Providing some of the much needed food that they all shared, saving them immense amounts of time and effort that would otherwise be required to hunt and prepare their own food, or money needed to buy from whatever merchants they might encounter. Sure Miroku was good at getting them into inns in various places and food to go along with it, but his methods did not always work, and oftentimes they were too far from any towns or villages to buy their supplies.
She had also taken the time to learn from Kaede about the naturally growing herbs of the time and the various things that they were used to treat. At her mother's urging, she had even taken to studying first aid in her time, at least as much as she could with the limited about of time that Inuyasha would permit her to visit with her family, or she could force him to allow. Still it was not easy even then to find the time, especially when she was trying to hard to at least finish school with passing, if not excellent grades. She had even taken a course in CPR and with the ever present threat of various kinds of poisons, she had taken to studying about those through online courses that she could take at her own pace when she was able to go home.
All-in-all, it had seriously increased her knowledge of how to deal with the various kinds of injuries that they often were afflicted with while on their dangerous ventures. Unfortunately, even that was apparently not enough to suit Inuyasha. In fact, when he had chided her on having 'wasted' the time to learn these new things, he scoffed at her and would not allow her to even explain the value that such skill could provide. He seemingly held no thanks or gratitude when those same skills and lessons helped her to heal some of the many injuries that he himself suffered, what with his headlong rush into almost every battle.
Still sobbing, Kagome could not help the strong feeling of despair that seemed to threaten to become overwhelming. As her anxiety grew along with her depression, so did the pain. Once more the pain from her neck pulsed, but this time it was enough to at least grab her attention. Just as before that sudden flash crossed her vision, and again her step faltered. While still brief, this time it was long enough to grab her attention and left her blinking her eyes to try to clear what at first seemed like a white haze.
She narrowly missing tripping over a gnarled old tree root in the nearly unnoticeable path that she had been blindly following. Although it was a bit slower than before, she still continued to her headlong flight. Between the painful feelings, and the ever building confusion of all that had transpired over the past nearly three weeks, she readily shook off what seemed like some passing and insignificant interruption.
Why was all this happening to her? If only something would allow her to at least remember some of what might have transpired. If Sango and Miroku were right, was it possible that the person, who had done this to her, did so because they wanted her? Did it mean that they cared for her, or was it just because they wanted to just use her to get back at Inuyasha? If their reasoning was right, was it possible that this was caused by Sesshoumaru?
While Inuyasha might feel that it would be beneath the Great and Powerful Taiyoukai of the West, it was almost common knowledge that he allowed a small ningen to follow him, and that he cared for her enough to protect her from any danger. Besides, if he was truly that cold and heartless, then how could he get the Tenseiga to work for him.
Still, Inuyasha made some very valid points. What did Kagome have that Sesshoumaru would even be remotely interested in? She certainly was not worth looking at, she was not that good with a bow, knew no other weapon to speak of, not that she really wanted to, and as for power...that was to laugh. She could not even call upon her powers except in extreme emotional situations.
With those things being totally against her, the only possible option would be that IF Sesshoumaru was the one behind this theory of Sango and Miroku's, the only possible reason would be if he was trying once again to get Tetsusaiga. That, however, didn't make any more sense than the idea of the Youkai Lord wanting her. Why would he want a sword that he could not possibly use?
Oh, he had tried, once with a borrowed ningen arm obtained from a misguided agreement with Naraku, and later when he was battling Inuyasha against Sou'unga. The arm might have worked, especially with the aid of the jewel shard. Unfortunately, it had proven to be far too limited to be truly effective, especially once Inuyasha had torn it off, and it was made apparent by Naraku later, that he intended to take back the shard. Besides, it was only worth using as long as he had the shard, and from what they all knew of the Taiyoukai, if it was not his own power and strength, he was not one to use something like a piece of the Shikon no Tama. He much preferred to rely strictly on his own abilities, knowing that they were not something that would be stolen by some power hungry passerby.
While he had been able to make use of the Great Fang when he was defending Rin and Jaken against Sou'unga while Inuyasha was under the effects of the vile youkai sword, he had only managed to wield its mighty powers at a very painful price. His hand had been seriously burnt, enough to actually bring him for a moment to his knees. In that moment, it was more than obvious that he would never be allowed to truly wield the mighty sword.
Was it possible then that Sesshoumaru was only doing this to get his revenge on Inuyasha? If he was indeed the one to cause all of the current unusual events that seemed to be surrounding her, then was it only because he sought some means to make his half brother pay for any injustice that he felt he had suffered?
Something deep inside told Kagome that this was the only reason that the Great Taiyoukai would have any real interest in her. She was after all, merely a weak, useless, and disgusting ningen. She offered nothing to anyone, and was of no real value to anybody. Perhaps Sesshoumaru thought that if he could inflict harm to her, then Inuyasha would suffer from the resulting turmoil. That was to laugh considering that the inu hanyou was far more caught up in the undead miko, than the living breathing one.
The thought almost made Kagome want to laugh. She might have under any other circumstances, but this was most certainly not one of them. The irony, however, was not totally lost to her. Neither was the irony of how much she would have liked to lead a normal life, however, there were varying degrees of normal, and living in modern day Tokyo for Kagome was not necessarily her version of normal.
Boring? Yeah! Normal? Not for Kagome. So much of her life had changed. She had experienced so much in all of her Feudal Era travels. Sure there were many things about the modern age that she loved, and enjoyed. Hell, even she had to admit that some of the conveniences would be more than just sorely missed. The bottom line however, was that she had changed so much from what all of those in the future considered normal that a mundane life in that time was unthinkable, even if she continued to try to keep up her school work and outward appearances for her friends back home.
She knew that her life was in the Feudal Era, despite all of the inconveniences of the lifestyle. She had people that she cared about, and who seemed to care about her. They were almost as much her family as were her mother, grandpa, and little brother. She was never in doubt how much they all meant to her, and for the most part, she knew how they all felt about her, but then that was also part of the current problem. It was obvious that Inuyasha thought that she was more of a bother and in the way than anything, and that her only redeeming quality was that she could sense the jewel shards.
All of this tumbled and ran through her head, almost faster than she could really follow. The circle of ever growing confusion, and pain just kept building until it was almost at a fevered pitch. The more the words echoed in the far reaches of her mind, the more her thoughts jumbled and refused to focus on any one thing for long. At moments it seemed to all flow and make sense, there even appeared to be brief moments when it all formed a logical path. Unfortunately, just as she was about to grasp the threads and get them to connect, it all was shattered by the next echo of a remembered put down.
Another pulse of pain lanced from the spot on her neck, and this time it was more than just noticeable. This time it clearly grabbed her attention and she lost her footing stumbling and finally falling to the ground. She hardly felt the impact that she had on her knees with the ground. Just as before her eye sight clouded over and all that flashed before her eyes was a shear white brilliance.
It seemed familiar and yet not, like something that she had seen before. It didn't feel cold, but while it seemed to make her feel warm, it didn't seem to offer a warmth of its own. Before she could try to puzzle it out, the white brilliance faded and then for a moment the real world seemed to try to regain focus. Before it could, however, the intense pain that had been steadily increasing from the spot on her neck, suddenly became like a spear of fire and lanced right through her head.
Kagome screamed with the overwhelmingly intense pain, her head feeling like it was being cleaved open. She felt like something was trying to tear her very soul in two, and in fact it felt like her whole body was trying to split apart. The heart wrenching sound tore through the night for miles around, shaking the hearts and souls of all who heard.
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Initially, Sango had thought that Kagome would run as she had before, just a short distance away and then stop to let herself try to cope with the over powering emotional turmoil that the Taijiya knew would her friend and 'sister' would be going through. She was surprised when after a few minutes of running calmly along the path that the young Miko didn't come into view.
"Kirara," she said to her currently small neko friend, "can you tell where Kagome is? She seems to have gone much farther than I would have though she would go."
The small neko mononoke took a brief second to sniff the air, her own concern for the young onna apparent in her stance. After a couple of seconds, she offered her companion a mewl of yes, and jump in front of the Taijiya and transformed into her large battle ready form. Taking the hint, Sango readily and easily leaped to her back, and the two were off in a rush to help their pack sister.
Both were completely surprised at how far Kagome had run. For a ningen, she should not have been able to run that far or traveled that fast. The evidence, however, refuted that concept as already they were what would have been about a half day's casual walk from their camp and still Kagome was not in sight. Trusting that Kirara could tell where the young onna was, Sango continued to scan the area before them, looking for any sight of the little Miko.
She feared that with the nearly pitch black darkness of the night, under the forest canopy that she might miss finding Kagome. Even with the bright patch that her white shirt would make, Sango knew that it would be difficult to locate the girl. It didn't stop her from continuing to try,
By this time, with Kirara's help, Sango had managed to finally catch up to the sorrow stricken onna. As she came in sight of Kagome, Sango was sure it look like Kagome was trying to keep her head from splitting in two. She felt her own heart cry out to the young onna before her, as the sound of her pain filled and heart wrenching scream tore through the night. She immediately did the instinctive thing and tried to go to the young Miko, but before she could move to the young girl's aid, she felt something push her back and block her way.
She bore witness to the sudden flare of golden light that seemed to spring from Kagome and surround her very being, but paid little heed to the sight being more concerned with the obvious pain that Kagome was in. Sango was about to approach the fallen onna again, but stopped when she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. She turned briefly to see that it was Miroku, and gave him a questioning look.
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Shippou and Miroku had been traveling a short time. While short, it was long enough that they too, were beginning to worry about what had happened to Kagome and also to Sango. Both knew that Kirara was with Sango and were sure that she was alright, but it had seemed odd that they had not encountered them yet, even though they had traveled quite a distance.
"Shippou," spoke up Miroku some what breathlessly, as they had already run quite a distance, "Can you catch the scent of either of the girls?"
Shippou, who was perched on the houshi's shoulder, took a long whiff of the night breeze and sorted through the news that it brought to his diminutive nostrils.
"Hai," returned the kitsune, "but they seem a lot farther off than I would have thought possible, especially for Kagome. In fact, it seems that Kirara has transformed to carry Sango, and they are moving away very quickly."
"Can you carry me to them faster?" Miroku looked to the young kit.
"I can try," came the ready reply, and before Miroku knew it, he was afloat on a large pink bubble like Shippou, with eyes, mouth, and odd appendages sticking out in just enough places to know that they were his no useless arms and legs.
With as much haste as the little kitsune could muster, they were soon pressing forward at a much better clip and gaining ground rapidly on the bright spot ahead that could be seen now as Kirara flying along with Sango on her back. Shippou pushed himself with every ounce of strength he possessed. He knew he could not travel far, especially in this form and carrying the weight of a full grown ningen.
Still, he would risk everything he was to help Kagome, and if that mean exhausting his last ounce of strength, then so be it. She needed the comfort of her friends right now, and that was all that truly matter.
Much to their relief, the two struggling travelers had nearly caught up with Sango and Kirara. They saw the Taijiya and neko land, and were witness to her attempt to reach their pack sister. Miroku could feel the waves of pain, and power that were emanating from the unknowingly powerful young Miko. What surprised him at the moment, however, was not that Sango was pushed back, or that there was even a barrier around the young onna.
No! What surprised him at the sight before him was that their seemed almost to be two souls. It was just like two souls were fighting to keep from being torn apart. This puzzled the hentai houshi, while at the same time leaving him in awe of the very sight. Why was a youkai soul, seemingly tied to a ningen soul, both apparently bound to the same being. One who even now let out the most heart wrenching, pain filled scream that he had ever heard, a scream that tore at his own heart, begging him to rush to her side and offer any aid that he could.
Miroku know, however, that to do so could be taking on a death wish. Even standing a few feet away from the barrier that he had just saw Sango attempt to go through, he could feel the nearly painful itchy tingling all over his skin, giving him a feeling of something living crawling all over him.
With the last drop of strength that the young kitsune had, he just had enough left to make sure that Miroku was not unceremoniously dropped to the ground. As soon as he felt the houshi's weight leave his back, Shippou returned to his normal form, and almost collapsed right where he stood. He most likely would have, had he not been so worried about the onna that he thought of as a mother figure.
As it was, both he and Miroku were just in time to keep Sango from making another effort to try to reach the young Miko. Being so close to the barrier surrounding Kagome, was almost too painful for the young kit to stand. Regardless of his exhaustion and the pain, Shippou was determined to stay with the others and see this through. Kagome needed help, and he would not abandoned her for anything.
Now perched once again on Miroku's shoulder, Shippou watched as the houshi stepped forward, and put a restraining had on Sango's shoulder.
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The storm of anger and torment that seemed to threaten his very sanity, left Inuyasha sitting where he had been when the others had left. How stupid and thoughtless could he get? Every word that the houshi had said was true, and he knew it.
Yet for the life if him, he was always opening his big mouth and saying the wrong things and of all things, at the wrong time. Now once again, his loose tongue had flapped in the breeze and the one person who meant almost more to him than life itself was out there, somewhere in the dark, while his friends were off to her aid.
The truth was that Inuyasha was afraid that he was in love with the young Miko, who had befriended him nearly five years ago. She had stuck by him through thick and thin, and taught him to trust again. She had shown him how to believe that he could make a place for himself in this world, one that was filled with friends, and who knew, maybe even a family one day.
As much as he looked forward to such a life, Inuyasha was still a very scared hanyou. For so long he had suffered just because of who and what he was, and it was so hard to honestly believe that there were those who were happy with him being exactly who and what he was.
'Inu no baka,' he growled in his own mind, 'If they were handing out prizes for being a complete jerk and total fool, I would probably win it hands down.'
'How completely stupid can I get?' his thoughts continued, 'I don't need to have others make a fool of me, especially when I seem so good at doing that for myself. Kagome gives me so much, and yet I seem to almost give her nothing. Sure I protect her, but then, she has protected me often enough. She has cried for me, nearly died for me, faced the same dangers with me, and what thanks do I give her? More pain and heartache.'
'Why can't I just tell her how I really feel?' he chided himself, remembering all of the times when it was Kagome's fiery spirit and sunny smile that seem to brighten even the cloudiest of days. 'Kikyou could never do that. She was always to solemn and reserved. It would have been beneath her dignity to be so carefree and cheerful. Besides, Miroku was right. Kikyou may have loved me, but she wanted me as a ningen, not hanyou or youkai.'
'Truth is,' he considered, 'that I do not hate her, and if I am honest, I do not really resent her. Kagome is so warm and caring. She is always there for us...for me...even when I am a complete jerk.'
'Whether I want to admit it or not,' he reflected, 'I am afraid. I am scared that someone has used this Potion that Sango mentioned on Kagome, and has already done what I should have a long time ago. Someone has laid claim to her, and now I can no longer have her as mine. What am I going to do, if they take Kagome away?'
The hanyou was lost in thought, and his own confusion and worries about the situation did nothing to ease his own inner turmoil. Just as he was going to try to consider what options they might have, and try to see if he could figure out some of the answers to their dilemma, an ear piercing, heart wrenching, pain filled scream tore through the air.
At the sound his own heart felt like it was ripped from his own chest. That was Kagome's scream, and it didn't sound good at all. Before that first echo could follow on the heels of the original sound, a red blur could see faintly seen in the dark of the night, tearing through the woods like his own life depended on him reaching the source of that sound.
With only one thought filling every possible corner of his mind, Inuyasha raced like he had never done before. 'I am coming Kagome. Onegai, be alright!'
Even before he caught up to the others, he could feel the enormous power that seemed to be filling the area. It was far stronger than anything that he had ever felt before, even from his own half brother, Sesshoumaru. It was odd in many ways and on many levels, as it felt one moment like youki, and then another moment like a Miko's power.
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"Why do you prevent me from going to her?" Sango cried, her worry evident, and coloured by a bit of anger at his actions. Realizing that if Miroku was keeping her from going towards Kagome, there had to be a good reason, the Taijiya restrained herself from taking the action she most wanted to do.
"The power flaring around her is not right somehow. Can't you feel it?" he asked of the Taijiya.
Sango took a moment to let her senses register what was happening before her, and she realized what Miroku was saying was true. There was something different about the power emanating from the young onna. It was obviously, at least in large part her Miko powers, but there was something else at work here, too. While it didn't feel sinister, it did seem to have a darker feel to it.
"You are right," Sango nodded, "and I have never seen Kagome-chan's powers behave like that before. Could this be a side effect of that Potion we spoke of? Is it possible that her Miko powers are fighting whatever this is doing to her?"
"Hai," was his concerned reply, "The problem here is that there seem to be two forces at work, one opposing the other. From the way this feels, one is definitely youki in origin and the other is her own Miko abilities. If we try to approach her while she is unstable, she might accidentally harm us, or even kill us without meaning to."
"But we have to do something to help," Shippou cried from the houshi's shoulder, "Surely she will not harm one of her friends!"
"She may not have a choice," Miroku sighed, hiding his own desperation as he tried to offer emotional support as best he could under the circumstances. "If Kagome is unaware of the her surroundings, especially because of the apparent intensity of the pain, she may be unable to distinguish us as friend or foe."
Sango and Shippou just looked at Miroku with completely horrified expressions. What was happening to Kagome? Why? Would she survive this latest ordeal? Unfortunately, just as with everything else, there were more questions than answers and little that they could do. Their sense of helplessness was growing by the minute, and their friend's pain filled cries were tearing at their hearts. This whole thing was getting more and more frustrating by the hour and it seemed the Fate was destined to keep the answers to this dilemma from them at all costs.
As they watched, the glow around her seemed to suddenly divide into two separate and individual powers. A red one that Miroku confirmed was the youki that he sensed, and Kagome's own pure blue one. Another ear shattering scream was wrenched from her lips, as still gripping her head tightly, she arched backwards, her face turned to the sky and arcs of incredible energy began wrapping around her body.
It was about this time that Inuyasha came rushing up having heard the screams of the young Miko. Even in his head long rush to find out what was happening to her, he was drawn up short at the feel of the incredible waves of power that were pouring off of the girl before him.
"Why are you all just standing around here doing nothing?" he screamed at the others, "Are you blind, and deaf, as well as stupid?"
"Inuyasha! Iie, don't go near her," yelled Miroku.
Despite Miroku's warning, Inuyasha tried to reach Kagome. He didn't even know what he could do for her even if he could reach her. All that he knew was that he had to try.
Unfortunately, just as he reached the edge of the power field that was surrounding her, he was violently thrown back and through five trees before he came to a stop, too stunned from the shock of the action and the impact themselves to move right away. Still, after a few moments, he struggled to his feet and returned to his friends’ side as they all stood helplessly watching as Kagome continued to scream in what had to be the most excruciating pain that she had ever experienced.
He could not take the sound of her pain any more and once again, Inuyasha tried again to breach the barrier that seemed to surround Kagome. As before, he was thrown back violently, this time twice the distance as before. It took longer for him to get up, but he did nonetheless. Determined to reach Kagome no matter what, Inuyasha again tried to reach her. Again, he was thrown, and again with more force that before.
That stubborn part of the hanyou that stood him in good stead when he stood on a battle field facing an opponent, took charge of his actions even now. Deep in his heart, he knew that he had something to do with what was causing her pain, and he could not bring himself to back down if there was even a chance that he could reach her and help her in anyway.
For her part, Kagome could hear nothing from around her. Her world had narrowed down to one of intense pain and longing. It was like there was something that was missing that she needed so badly to help her hold herself together. Without whatever it was, she felt like she was being torn asunder and there was nothing she could anchor herself to, in order fight what was happening and stop the pain.
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With the rays of the setting sun, a flash of glittering white could be barely seen racing along at such a speed that it seemed to be but a brief flicker of something almost glowing. It was a most remarkable sight, provided one didn't blink and was looking in exactly the right direction, at exactly the right time to catch a glimpse of the being that was passing through on his way to a very specific area just to the south and east of where he had been.
To the unknowing, he might have appeared to be in something of a rush. That, however, was far from the truth. At the moment, he was merely allowing himself one of the few and occasional luxuries that he could take pleasure in when traveling alone. Being a predator at heart, and of the Great and Renown Inu Clan, one of the very first things that all pups learn was how to run. Running was an important part of being an Inu and to be successful in the hunt, one had to be able to out run any and all prey, or to even be fast enough to turn one's opponent into one's prey. That was the law of the hunt.
As such, and also being a warrior of immense power and skill, keeping one's skill at peak efficiency was always of the utmost importance. Well, at least it made for a good excuse to just run as fast as possible just because you could. Besides there was something pleasurable in the feel of having the wind whipping through your hair and across your face as you dashed forward, letting the feel of freedom give you such a rush as to make you almost breathless in excitement.
Besides, it had been sometime since the Great Taiyoukai had taken the time to hunt, and nothing could surpass the thrill of the hunt. Well, almost nothing. At that moment, his own inner Beast was telling him that there was at least one other thing that could surpass the thrill, and despite himself, he found that he had to agree on that idea. The very thought of three very wondrous nights and the accompanying thrill that they had provided created such a warm and glorious feeling rushing along the Youkai Lord's spine that just as on the way to the old fujo's home, he almost stumbled in his head long rush forward.
With a grace and poise of such skill as to make any dancer envious, Sesshoumaru recovered himself with a barely noticeable reduction in his forward momentum and nothing more. As he continued on his trek, he let loose a growl to himself for not being more alert and for letting his Blood Beast once again distract him. Unfortunately, over the past two and one half days, his Beast had begun to take a great deal of pleasure in doing such things to him. It had almost become a game to see just how much of a annoyance the more primal side of himself could be.
Listening to the amused chuckle the emanated from the darkest recesses of his mind, was an aggravating thing. Sesshoumaru was not convinced that he would get used to it, but on some level he knew that he had to, and do so as quickly as possible. As it turned out, the cause of all of this was in part his own fault, and while he didn't like to admit to faults any more than necessary, he had to accept at least to himself that he had been the cause of this problem and he therefore, had to accept responsibility for the matter.
The good news, however, was that at least he would not be alone in working out the issues of control. As it turned out, the focal point of the problem, was also the control of the Great Taiyoukai's inner Beast. A brief flash of a most alluring image flashed before his eyes, once again interfering with his traveling, at his growl of anger he again heard that annoying chuckle that he was beginning to learn to hate.
::I grow impatient to be back with our mate?::
*If that were truly so, then you would not be trying your best to interfere with my efforts to get back to my brother's pack and her side.*
::Yeah! Well, I would not interfere if you would just go faster.::
At that remark, the Great Lord slowed his pace even further, to the seemingly never ending frustration of his Youkai. This time, it was the Great Lord's turn to chuckle at the expense of his bestial half only further annoying the Blood Beast within.
::Now I remember why I always found you annoying! GGGgggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!::
*You know, if the two of us just cooperated more, it would be far less annoying for both of us. Even the old fujo stated that!*
::True! But then she was at a loss for why we are now the way we are, too! I doubt that she even knew what she was talking about.::
*Some of what you say is true, however, keep in mind that she has been alive for more than 2000 years. She spent more than half of that time developing the very Potion that has given us that which my brother no longer possesses. Thanks to her, we have not only got the means to take our revenge upon the half breed, but we also now hold a treasure more valuable than even the Fangs of our Great and Terrible Father.*
::My, wordy today aren't we?::
*Gggggrrrrrrrrr! Keep being annoying and we will stop here for the night!::
At the prospect of another night away from the female that the both sides of Sesshoumaru now accepted as their mate, the Blood Beast's less sophisticated side showed itself to his counterpart.
::^Whimper!^ You wouldn't!::
*I wou............*
At that moment a sudden overwhelming rush of emotional pain so intense that is was felt like a physical blow to his gut, hit Sesshoumaru with the force of being hit by half of a mountain side. Despite his great endurance and control, he was dropped to the ground before him. He tried to return to his feet, but found the pain to much to mentally push past.
By now the most intense anguish that he had ever known was hammering at the inside of his skull. As he grabbed his head with his hands, like he was trying to keep it from splitting in two, he felt a pulse of fiery pain sear from his neck to his already tortured head. It felt like someone was ramming a blazing hot knife into the mating mark on his neck. The pain was so intense that the voice of his Blood Beast sounded almost like a whisper, even though he knew his Inu was screaming. Exerting every ounce of his renown control that he could muster, it still took Sesshoumaru a few moments to push enough of the pain aside, so that he could focus on what his own Beast was saying.
::She is hurting! Something is happening to her. We have to get to her now! RIGHT NOW!::
*Hai!* was all that the Youkai Lord could manage as the immense pain threatened to overwhelm what little control he had. *I cannot hold back the pain and function at the same time. Pain...too...intense....!*
::Then you focus on holding down the pain, and let me focus on getting us moving. I can't control our body unless you allow it.::
For several moments that felt like an eternity, Sesshoumaru fought for control over the pain. It was torturously slow, nevertheless he was making some progress. Unfortunately, it was not fast enough, and the sense of urgency was getting to be almost as overwhelming as the pain itself. In frustration his Inu spoke up once more.
::She is going to die if we cannot do something to help her soon. Even if you can get control over the pain, and let me have control of our body, there is no way that we could get to her in time to save her. There has to be something else that we can do.::
It was so hard to think...to reason...with so much pain to try to cope with. Sesshoumaru knew that they had to do something and quickly or their mate would die, and if she did, he didn't even want to think about what might happen to him. His Inu reprimanded him for even thinking of her dying. He agreed, and thrust the thought away, once more working to control the pain so that they could help Kagome.
*There is one possibility that we can use, but I have never tried it myself.*
::Right now, I do not care what we do, just that we do it and do it NOW!::
*Alright! But I need for you to help me to push back on the pain. I need to be able to concentrate on something other than the pain.*
::Anything! Just hurry!::
At that the Taiyoukai's body suddenly went completely limp and to anyone who might have been near, he looked for all the world like he was dead. Except for a barrier that was now protecting his prone form, there was no visible sign of life in his body. Where it had been tossing and writhing in agony only moments ago, it now lay like one of the dead, almost glowing softly in the last rays of the now setting sun.
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Dictionary
Baka - Idiot
Chikushou - Beast, Brute, Damn
Doushite - Why
Fujo - Witch
Hanyou - Half Demon
Hiraikotsu - actually translates as 'Come Flying Skills' and is the name of Sango's boomerang
Houshi - Monk
Inu - Dog
Kazaana - Wind Void/Tunnel - Miroku's curse from Naraku
Kitsune - Fox Demon
Miko - Shrine Maiden
Mononoke - Animal Spirit - Kirara would be considered an mononoke as she has no human form
Neko - Cat
Okaa-san - Mother
Onee - Older Sister
Onna - Woman
Sama - Lady or Lord - respectively
Shakoju - Staff - the one that Miroku carries and wields
Shimatta - Damn it
Shikon no Kakera - Shikon Shards
Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls
Shishi - Lion
Taijiya - Demon Exterminator
Taiyoukai - Demon Lord
Tenshi - Angel
Tenseiga - Sacred Life Fang
Tetsusaiga - Iron Pulverizing Fang
Youkai - Demon
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