InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Poison of Erised! ❯ Chapter Fourteen - Parted from Me, but Never Parted ( Chapter 14 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Vyncent 
His breathing was labored because of a couple of cracked ribs, obtained from when he had been still able to throw himself at the barrier. His voice...what little was left of it, was so hoarse as to be nothing more than a whisper, from all of the screaming out of the only word he could be heard to scream....
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.25.2005 | Updated On: 12.11.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 1.8K | Status: Work In Progress
His breathing was labored because of a couple of cracked ribs, obtained from when he had been still able to throw himself at the barrier. His voice...what little was left of it, was so hoarse as to be nothing more than a whisper, from all of the screaming out of the only word he could be heard to scream....
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.25.2005 | Updated On: 12.11.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 1.8K | 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 Fourteen - Parted from Me, but Never Parted
The power of Sister Moon shown brightly on the world below, but not brightly enough to reach the more shadows areas of the densely forested land. Not that it mattered whether her light reached those dark and dangerous areas this night, as there was already more than enough brightness for the Inu-tachi to see. In fact, there was almost too much, and none of it helped any of them feel better for seeing what was before them.
The anxiety that they felt, they all wore on their faces, like a mask that none of them wanted to wear. In truth, they would rather have not had to feel the way they did. They all knew, however that there was nothing that they could do, but stand by helplessly as they watched one of their own writhe in such pain that it was more than apparent that she would die unless they could do something soon to help her.
Inuyasha was still frantically trying to break through the barrier to reach Kagome. Unnoticed by anyone, tears streamed down his face. It was doubtful that even had they been noticed, anyone would have cared. All that mattered was that one of them had to get to the young onna and get to her before it was too late.
His hands were already burnt from trying to break through a barrier that was at least in part, the purifying energy of a powerful Miko. His battered and bruised body did little to slow him down as he focused solely on one thought, 'I must rescue Kagome'! His breathing was labored because of a couple of cracked ribs, obtained from when he had been still able to throw himself at the barrier. His voice...what little was left of it, was so hoarse as to be nothing more than a whisper, from all of the screaming out of the only word he could be heard to scream.
"Kagome! Kagome!"
Miroku and Sango had tried to stop him after the first half hour, but soon realized that nothing short of an earthquake would stop Inuyasha at this point. They seriously doubted that even death would have brought a halt to the hanyou's unrelenting efforts to get to the one person that he continually refused to admit his feelings to. So, they stood by, wishing that they themselves could borrow even a small amount of his strength, energy, and endurance to stand by his side.
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Kagome's world had narrowed down to one of unrelenting pain. The torment of her sorrow and feelings of worthlessness, all seemed to rip to shreds the already tattered remains of her soul. She so badly needed to feel like she was wanted, to be loved, and have someone care for her, and who would not shun her for wanting to love them back, and it was that desperate need that continued to battle with her sense of despair that seemed to be the root of most of her pain.
She knew there were those who loved her, at least in a familial way. Her mother, brother, and Grandfather did much to show they loved her, and supported her choices and decisions, even accepting her continued efforts to recover the Sacred Jewel. Sango was the sister that she had never had, a confidant that was always there to lend a shoulder when she needed.
Miroku, though hentai, was an older brother that offered much in the way of wisdom, and strength, and Shippou...well...Shippou was someone who needed somebody to care for him, and he made Kagome feel like she was needed at least in some small way. Even Buyou and Kirara held a place in her life, and she cared for both of them immensely. None of them, however, seemed to fill that one small niche in her heart and life that so needed to be filled.
Much of the last five years, she had spent filling that one place in her heart with the need to be there for her friends and for others. Giving all that she could to help those who meant the most to her. She gave of herself, and from her heart, clinging to the sense that she was doing something good for someone else and that it was appreciated and needed. On some level it had helped, and she drove herself even harder to give more and do more.
Maybe she had just not given enough. Perhaps in some small way, wanting to have someone care about her was being selfish and now this pain was her punishment along with Inuyasha's hurtful words. Had she caused him pain in some way that she was unaware of? She had not meant to, but perhaps she had.
If that was the case, then she deserved the punishment that she was now experiencing. Perhaps this was the kami's way of reprimanding her for being bad. Inuyasha was always helping her when she was in danger, rescuing her when she was threatened, and he carried her throughout the country side a lot of the time. Maybe she had not shown her gratitude enough, or sincerely enough for all of the help that he gave her. And all of those times that she sat him, even if it seemed that it was for his own good. This must be punishment for having tortured him so.
All she really wanted was for him see how much she really loved him, and had hoped that he would return her love, as well. Was she not worthy of his love? Had she not done her best to show him just how much she really cared for him? Sure she had told him, but she knew that he had been betrayed before for showing his compassion to someone. So instead of just pushing him, or forcing herself on him, she had intend to give him space and time to see that she truly did love him with all of her heart. It was obviously not enough, or just all in vain.
Yes, there was no doubt in her mind that she had been selfish to want him to return her affections. While she could not help who her heart fell in love with, she had no right to expect Inuyasha to feel the same. It was apparent that he could never love her or accept her for who she was. All he wanted was the woman that he had loved long ago, even though she had pinned him to the Goshinboku, not the girl who had freed him from the darkness of that nightmare imprisonment.
Why could he not see how much Kikyou despised him, or realize that it was some other miracle that he put him to sleep for fifty years and not Kikyou's arrow. Didn't he remember how when Urasue first gave consciousness to the now dead priestess, her first words were to ask him why he was not dead? Even now, even knowing the truth, she still wanted nothing more than to take him to hell. Why could he not see that life offered so much more, and Kagome had only meant to show him that and to hopefully see him return her love for him.
Of course there was also those times when she had wished that Kikyou was no longer walking the earth. She had to admit that she had often wanted to see the once dead priestess gone forever. In her own mind, Kagome reasoned that she must be a most vile and evil person to want to wish someone dead. No wonder she was being punished, she really did deserve the pain that she was now feeling.
With that thought foremost in her mind, Kagome began to give into the pain and to let it consume her very being. She was un-deserving of being loved, no one would ever want her. She caused pain and hardship to those around her, got in the way and brought trouble just by her very presence. It was true, after all she was the one that carried the Shikon shards and that was able to sense them. When they were not being attacked because she carried the shards, they were attacked because she was able to find them.
If she just accepted her punishment and let the pain take her, she would no longer be there to cause so much trouble for those around her. If she was no longer around, she would not bring more trouble to them, put their lives in danger, or be there in the way distracting them in the heat of battle to save her life at the risk of their own. Yes! It was better this way.
Having come to that soul wrenching conclusion, Kagome stopped fighting the all consuming pain. Instead she gave herself up to it, and let it consume her. It seemed like it was literally tearing her apart one cell at a time. She was sure that her head was exploding and what was left of her mind, at least that part that might still have any kind of rational thought was being devoured. Every nerve was on fire and every muscle in a vice that could not be broken. As she let herself go, her screams of agony seemed to rip the night air apart along with her very soul. She would have begged for the sweet bliss of unconsciousness to take her, but she had nothing left to give it any thought with.
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By now, even Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippou had joined Inuyasha in an effort to reach their friend. The sounds of her pain filled screams had increased to the point where they could themselves feel her torment. It was more than just a mental anguish, but also a heart wrenching physical thing and all that they knew was that someone had to get to her and help her. It was a miracle that she even had a voice left to scream with. Alas, it was just more wasted effort as they all, even combined could not break the barrier that seemed to surround the girl.
Inuyasha had considered briefly the use of Red Tetsusaiga, but quickly thrust that idea aside as the resulting blast might also destroy Kagome. His burned hands were red with the blood that pour from them, but still he continued to bash and claw at the barrier. He could not give up, and nothing would stop him from his efforts to try to save the little Miko whose heart he had so badly tormented with his thoughtlessness. For the first time since the death of his mother, Inuyasha was feeling something he had sworn that he would never let himself feel again.
Fear! Spine chilling, mind numbing, almost blind fear. Fear that he was about to not only fail again to keep his promise to Kagome, but fear that he was going to lose another person who he cared so deeply for. What made this time even worse was that he was right there and could see everything that was happening, and he was powerless to do anything to help her.
The light that surrounded the tortured girl, seemed to suddenly brighten even more. It appeared to be emanating from Kagome, herself, although it was hard to be sure. The two powerful auras surrounding the girl, both youki and Miko, were now two separate and glowing forms, almost as though there were two individual souls, both writhing in terror and pain. To their utter astonishment, the screams that were steadily increasing as they were seemingly ripped from her very chest, changed drastically and suddenly it sounded like the horrific growls of a nearly mindless beast.
The change in sound was enough to give them all pause, and they all stood transfixed by the sight before them. There in the center of the sphere of light stood what they knew to be Kagome, yet at the same time it was definitely not the Kagome that they all knew. This one had eyes as red as blood and glowing like the most perfect of rubies. She sported fangs, and razor sharp claws. Her raven black hair was nearly twice the length that they were used to, and seemed to swirl in a breeze that none of them could feel, as it seemed to frame her head and shoulders like an over large living halo.
They could just make out what seemed to be the tips of pointed youkai ears, and even as they watched they would have sworn that there seemed to be some sort of stripes appearing on her face and wrists, even on her ankles. What they saw was all unbelievable, and yet they were all seeing it for themselves.
At that same moment, a blur of light seemed to come rushing out of the northwest and passed right through the barrier as if there was nothing there at all. It halted just short of the now obviously feral onna and for just a moment seemed to hang suspended in mid air as if studying what was taking place before them all, and taking stock of the situation. When it started to move, it appeared to be spreading itself upon the wind, reforming and reshaping itself even as they all watched in awe.
It was quite ghostly in form, but without a single doubt it appeared to be the ethereal spirit of an enormous inu youkai. Its now glowing form seemed to pulse with a power like nothing that they had ever seen or felt before. It was a rhythmic pulsing and seemed to be having a calming effect on the onna who was still writhing in pain, and growling like a vicious, half crazed animal. Her growls diminished quite noticeably at the calming presence of the inu, and even the pain seemed to lessen considerably, as the inu stepped closer to her and appeared to wrap itself around her tortured form.
As soon has the ethereal being made contact with the pain filled onna, the growling sounds almost stopped and were replaced by whimpers. It was almost like hearing a pup crying to a parent for relief of the pain that they suffered when sick. A soothing rumble sounded from the Great Inu that was carefully tending to the tormented onna's needs, and nuzzling her neck as it further brought comfort to her pain racked body.
It was about this time that another bright glowing form could be seen to dash into the clearing that was still surrounded by the barrier. Though smaller in size, it seemed no less powerful than the inu that came before it. This one seemed to focus more of the still tortured and torn auras that were still writhing in their own agony.
It fluttered briefly and spread itself as though upon the wind. Appearing to wrap itself around the two distraught aura's, it could be clearly seen that it was making every effort to give the two spirits a common ground from which to anchor themselves. At first it appeared that both were not immediately aware of the new entity. Each seemed to be trying to do anything that would take away the pain, and while it was obvious that they were trying to separate, there were equally clear moments when they appeared to turn on each other as through to fight and destroy each other.
Even through the barrier the Inu-tachi could feel the power radiating off of both of the Inu souls. They were surprised to see the smaller one unhesitatingly move to try to come to the aid of the young Miko's two so tortured souls. While the obvious youki half of her was no real threat to the small Inu-youkai soul, the Miko ki was and in the state that Kagome was currently in, it was more than apparent that her natural ki was unstable and unpredictable.
Despite this, the small inu soul continued to morph and change until it had completely surrounding the two souls that belonged to the little onna. Just as the larger Inu, the smaller one could be heard though barely, to give off a similar gentle rumble. The effects were almost immediate.
The moment that the smaller soul completely surrounded the two tortured entities, and began offering comfort and support to them, both seemed to readily recognize the form and easily responded to its efforts to comfort them and bring them back together. They circled around each other, settled and at the encouragement of this second spirit-like form, came together in a brilliant flash that filled the small clearing. When it cleared what had once been two separate souls, one youki and one Miko had joined back into the enormous golden soul that it had been before.
A low, but commanding bark could be heard from the inu soul a moment later, still curled around the little Miko's body. Briefly the entity raised his head, and looked at the smaller spirit. It appeared that both came to some kind of unspoken understanding, as the smaller form suddenly became a small bright sphere and seemed to dash off into the night, back from whence it came.
The larger form returned his head back to nuzzling and comforting the young onna, who by now was no longer writhing in pain. She was almost resting comfortably and even the whimpers that she had once been crying had died down enough to only be heard occasionally. The low, soothing rumbled growl of the inu soul continued to fill the area. It was obvious to all watching that it was doing a lot to help the small woman-child.
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Everything at first had been dark. It was the deep, lifeless, pitch of blackness that comes with total nothingness, the black that seems so empty that even a void would feel full. It did nothing to relieve the pain that had been ripping through her mind and body. No, in fact, it only seemed to further add to it. This total emptiness of anything, sight, sound, taste, touch, all of it was like being deprived of everything that Nature meant for the living to have. It was so intense, it felt almost like it was all being ripped away and nothing could ever make it come back.
Was this what death was? Or was it just the continuation of the punishment that she was being subjected to, being taken to the next level for all of the crimes that she had ever committed in life? The very idea of spending eternity like this was far more horrible than the pain, and her torment seemed to renew itself.
She had not meant to be such a horrible person. In fact, she had tried to be good. She knew with certainty that she had failed miserably and that this punishment was just what she deserved for all the uncaring, selfish, and bad things that she had done. If this was what Fate had in store for her, and what she had to face to make up for any of the hateful things that she had done in life, then she would accept it willingly, knowing that she could expect nothing more and had done nothing to earn better.
Still there was some almost distant part of her that seemed inclined to fight. It seemed like it had been a small part of herself, but it had grown and even now was getting bigger and stronger than she could recall it ever having been before. Although it was not quite the same, it felt something like that small area of her heart, where Akago had tried to find the darkness that would give him the focus to try to taint her soul.
While that darkness seemed stronger, and larger than before, it still felt like that part of any soul that was perfectly natural to one's existence. Just as there was a light side to everyone, so too there was a dark side. It was just the ying and yang of the soul and that, which was meant to be, giving balance to life.
Even as Kagome could feel the beating of her heart slow as she gave into the pain, this other side of herself, the side that seemed to be the part of her that held her fire, determination, drive, and will, lashed out at her failure to fight for her life instead of giving up. She could feel the almost primal nature of the beast within that darker recess of her mind, as it roared with a rage that Kagome could not recall ever having felt before.
Oh, she recalled those times when her ire was at such a point that she could almost feel the fire that burned deep within, and seemed to give her a strength that she didn't even know much of the time that she had. It was that part of herself that fought so strongly for those she most cared about, and fueled her determination to keep going when times were hard or even overwhelming.
She recalled when Akago had attempted to use that part of herself to taint her pure soul and encourage a hatred that she could never bring herself to feel. As she had held the babe of Naraku in her arms, he had delved deep into her very soul to find that darkness that all beings have. She knew that in some that darkness was larger and stronger than in others, but nevertheless it is a part of all living things.
In Naraku's case, it is his dark side that is predominate, suppressing his lighter side until it was almost nonexistent. Beings such as the vile hanyou, were the ones who brought terror, blood shed, and hatred into the world and made life hell for the living. They derived pleasure from the pain that they caused for others and found it hard to understand any other way of life. Compassion, and peace held no value and tended to be brutally pushed away.
For those like Inuyasha, where there was both a strong dark side, and a strong light side, it was harder as they were torn much of the time as to which side to follow or allow to be the more dominate side. For people like him, life was a never ending battle of trying to find that one place where both sides could work together in harmony. Many failed and ended up living secluded lives that ultimately killed them for the shear boredom and loneliness that resulted, or they died the most violent of deaths because they succumbed to their more sinister natures.
Of course, there were those who leaned most strongly towards their light sides, many of them living among the houshi and miko of the world. They were the ones that most easily found peace in even the simplest of things that nature provided, but held onto enough of their dark side, to be willing to fight for the right to that peace for everyone.
Yes, it was a simplified understanding of what was transpiring, but nevertheless, it was a truth. Kagome was a pure soul by Nature, her very powers granted by that same source. They were a gift that the kami awarded her, and it was through her loving and compassionate heart that they were so strong.
At the same time, it was that small dark corner that gave her not only the will to survive, but also to fight and defend all that she so strongly believed in and that she held most dear. It held back the fear that others would feel in the face of overwhelming odds, or standing up to the enemy knowing that she might not walk away. It was that same part of her soul that gave her the ability to choose, to make decisions, and to act upon them regardless of the consequences. It was that which gave her strength of will and strength of character.
It was strongly countered by her light side, the side that held onto all of her compassion, love, desire, and knowledge. This was the side that reasoned, gave her the ability to be rational, and think in a logical fashion. This side of her being was the one that saw all of the options and could tell what the consequences of things might be. It gave balance to her darker side, just as the dark gave balance to the light.
Due to her upbringing, Kagome had learned to understand both sides of herself, and that they were both a natural part of who she was. She didn't have to like all of the various aspects that each part made, but she understood them and accepted them as all being part of who and what she was. It was that balance that was now being threatened, because of the pain and torment that her lighter side felt. Her darker side however, strengthened by still unknown recent events had become a much stronger part of her than even she was yet aware of.
As both sides warred over the right to live or die, her very soul was being torn asunder. This in turn only added to the pain, as the two souls were being torn from each other. One could not live without the other, but at the moment neither side was aware enough to care or even know that in their own way, they were bringing about their own demise.
If the light side won out, she was slowly die as almost nothing more than a vegetable, conscious, intelligent, and caring, but completely unable to choose, respond, or act on anything of her own free will. If the darker side won out, she would be left an almost mindless beast, violent and unreasoning, choosing on a whim, and not caring of the consequences of those choices.
On some deep seated level, the tormented soul understood all of this, but seemed to be unable to do anything to gain control of the situation. She wanted so much to just end the pain, to find some small piece of happiness that she could call her own, to belong and feel like she counted for something. She didn't want to live her life because of who others wanted her to be, but just because of who she already was.
Her light side was tired of the burden that life seemed to have forced upon her, wanting only for it all to end. She felt that the only way to stop it all was to give in to the pain and let it all end. Her dark side was raging in its own fight, for it too was tired of the pain and torment, but was not yet ready to give up. That part of her wanted more than anything to hang onto life and continue to survive, to fight the pain and find the means to drive it away. The resulting conflict between her two sides only added ten fold to the torment that she suffered.
In her despair, all that she could find was where she had failed. Failed all of those around her by being weak and a burden, and failed herself by being unable to separate her identity from the one person who seemed to look back at her no matter which direction she turned.
Yes, she looked like Kikyou, and she would not deny that she was the dead priestess' re-incarnation. It was irrefutable, especially as they both obviously shared the same soul. Still, that didn't mean that she was Kikyou, any more than it meant that Kikyou was Midoriko.
Yes, it was more than obvious right from the beginning that Kikyou was a re-incarnation of the Ancient Warrior Priestess. That had only been confirmed by the soul of Midoriko herself in the cave from which the jewel first came into being. When Kikyou had stolen the bit of Midoriko's soul to heal herself of Naraku's reappearing wounds, it had told the dead priestess that they shared the same soul. Kohaku had confirmed this from the information that his shard of the jewel had given him.
Urasue would not have been able to bring Kikyou back to life, if it had not been for her stealing Kagome's soul, and it was still that small part her soul that kept Kikyou walking among the living. It only stood to reason that if Kikyou and Kagome shared the same soul, and Midoriko and Kikyou shared the same soul, then obviously Kagome also shared the same soul as Midoriko.
Just has Kikyou was not Midoriko, however, so Kagome was not Kikyou. Unfortunately, Fate seemed inclined to keep putting the young Miko into a place where that seemed to be all that anyone saw. Those that knew Kikyou, or heard of her, saw her in Kagome, and unfortunately, Inuyasha could not seem to see beyond that image, and was unable to accept the young onna for who she was, not who she appeared to be.
The seemingly never ending torment pushed and pulled at her so much that at first she never even sensed the presence that came upon her. She was not aware of the entity that suddenly surrounded her and carefully cradle her in a warmth that she so desperately wanted. More importantly, it gave her the grounding that she needed to anchor herself and try to get a grip on what was happening to her.
It was the soft, rumbling vibrations that first caught her attention, even as she noticed that the pain was easing, and that someone was nearby and holding her. It took a moment longer for her to realize that she was being held in a loving embrace and to notice that a warm, soothing, clawed hand was rubbing gentle circles along her spine. She could feel the comforting rhythmic vibrations of a rumbled growl, as she was held against a firm, strong chest.
For the briefest of moments, she wondered why she was so accepting of being held by what should have felt like a stranger, and yet, she knew some how that this was not true. On some level that she readily felt, but could not quite understand, being held by whoever this was, seemed and felt perfectly normal and was exactly how it should be. Without question, or any further reservations, she welcomed the offered comfort, and warmth, and leaned into the strength being offered.
Something familiar nuzzled her neck. The action felt so soothing, sending waves of comfort through her entire body. It seemed to further ease the pain and encourage rest. It held a promise of respite from the anguish, and protection from the pain. Kagome could not help but feel drawn by the compassion and felt undeniable trust in the presence that surrounded her in a wall of peace and comfort. For the first time in a long while, she felt grounded and centered. She felt that she could pull through and actually stand strong once more.
Though at first reluctant, for fear of finding that she was just in a dream and that it would all go away if she did, Kagome opened her eyes. It took a moment for her to focus, as just like with the flashes of pain before, she was seeing at first nothing but white. This time, however, it was not followed by more pain, but only further made her feel like she was safe, warm, and desired. It was like someone, or something was willing to shield her from the pain, and to protect her from all that might threaten her.
Whoever this was, they were powerful. She could feel their power almost as though it were thrumming along every nerve and muscle. It left her tingling with both anticipation and relief, but she could not quite understand why.
It took a moment to focus enough to make out that the white was hair, and a moment after that to find that the warmth was from the softest and silkiest fur that she could ever remember having felt before. She found herself almost snuggling into the warm and fluffy mantel, wanting to do nothing more than get lost in the silky feel of it.
At her action, she felt the arms that were holding her tighten ever so slightly, the silky fur seemingly entwined around her, pulling her closer, and the rumbling sound seemed to deepen in tone. She once more felt the familiar nuzzling along her neck where it joined her shoulder. Another soothing sense of comfort washed through her at the action and she turned her head just enough to once more look at what seemed to surround her.
Just through the silvery strands of hair and soft fur that she rested against, she could make out the almost elfish point of an ear. Following along its graceful curves she could see the beginnings of what appeared to be two maroon stripes. As she continued to turn her head a bit more, she was surprised at the sense of loss when the feeling at her neck pulled away. Still, she wanted to see the face of her protector, to look into the eyes of the one that seemed to be willing to offer her the comfort of a warm embrace, and loving touch. She wanted to use her fingers to brush the face of the one who was willing to be there for her when she most needed someone who cared.
As she looked into the face of the one who had rescued her and seen the trademark symbols of the twin maroon stripes, burning eyes of gold, and the more than familiar blue of a crescent moon on a stoic visage, all thought left the young onna. Darkness threatened once more to overwhelm her senses with only one word to fill the emptiness she felt.....
'Sesshoumaru.....'
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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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A/N - Yep! Back again! Sorry for the delay. Knee is still very swollen and just being at the computer is against doctor's orders. But hey! What he don't know...HEH! HEH! HEH!
Anywho...The plot sickens....erh...uhm...uh...I mean thickens. While there is no real dialog in this particular chapter, it was one that was so busy that dialog ended up taking a back seat. There is much for everyone to contemplate and reflect on, some of which will lead to more questions, while others will provide some answers. Answers that will not necessarily be welcomed by all.
What exactly is happening to Kagome? Was it all triggered by Inuyasha's behavior or is it due to the potion? Will this encounter, odd though it is, be the turning point for Kagome to start remembering those gaps in time that she has lost? Will she accept what is happening, and who has forced the current situation on her? Will she lose herself to the Realm of the Dead, or will she end up in the Land of Insanity? Can Sesshoumaru help keep either from happening? What is happening to his body and what is his Blood Beast doing in his absence? Will the inner Inu take advantage of the sudden freedom presented, or will he behave himself?
So many questions and still so few answers. Will they be forthcoming soon? HEH! HEH! HEH!
May the blessings of Inari stand watch over all of the survivors of both hurricanes in the south, and over the wonderful folks below who have taken the time to read, rate, and review:
Megan Consoer, Inukame, Dragoncountess98, Lori
Sam_Sama_Death2: Happy Birthday a bit early. With some luck, I might be able to get another chapter up before the big B-Day.
Kinoko: I remember reading stories as a kid that worked in this way. It caught my attention very much for the same reason that it catches yours. I like to think that setting is as important as what the characters are doing, and that it is as much a living part of the tale, as anything.
Vermillion 3: Lemonade coming to this fic soon! Promise!
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 Fourteen - Parted from Me, but Never Parted
The power of Sister Moon shown brightly on the world below, but not brightly enough to reach the more shadows areas of the densely forested land. Not that it mattered whether her light reached those dark and dangerous areas this night, as there was already more than enough brightness for the Inu-tachi to see. In fact, there was almost too much, and none of it helped any of them feel better for seeing what was before them.
The anxiety that they felt, they all wore on their faces, like a mask that none of them wanted to wear. In truth, they would rather have not had to feel the way they did. They all knew, however that there was nothing that they could do, but stand by helplessly as they watched one of their own writhe in such pain that it was more than apparent that she would die unless they could do something soon to help her.
Inuyasha was still frantically trying to break through the barrier to reach Kagome. Unnoticed by anyone, tears streamed down his face. It was doubtful that even had they been noticed, anyone would have cared. All that mattered was that one of them had to get to the young onna and get to her before it was too late.
His hands were already burnt from trying to break through a barrier that was at least in part, the purifying energy of a powerful Miko. His battered and bruised body did little to slow him down as he focused solely on one thought, 'I must rescue Kagome'! His breathing was labored because of a couple of cracked ribs, obtained from when he had been still able to throw himself at the barrier. His voice...what little was left of it, was so hoarse as to be nothing more than a whisper, from all of the screaming out of the only word he could be heard to scream.
"Kagome! Kagome!"
Miroku and Sango had tried to stop him after the first half hour, but soon realized that nothing short of an earthquake would stop Inuyasha at this point. They seriously doubted that even death would have brought a halt to the hanyou's unrelenting efforts to get to the one person that he continually refused to admit his feelings to. So, they stood by, wishing that they themselves could borrow even a small amount of his strength, energy, and endurance to stand by his side.
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Kagome's world had narrowed down to one of unrelenting pain. The torment of her sorrow and feelings of worthlessness, all seemed to rip to shreds the already tattered remains of her soul. She so badly needed to feel like she was wanted, to be loved, and have someone care for her, and who would not shun her for wanting to love them back, and it was that desperate need that continued to battle with her sense of despair that seemed to be the root of most of her pain.
She knew there were those who loved her, at least in a familial way. Her mother, brother, and Grandfather did much to show they loved her, and supported her choices and decisions, even accepting her continued efforts to recover the Sacred Jewel. Sango was the sister that she had never had, a confidant that was always there to lend a shoulder when she needed.
Miroku, though hentai, was an older brother that offered much in the way of wisdom, and strength, and Shippou...well...Shippou was someone who needed somebody to care for him, and he made Kagome feel like she was needed at least in some small way. Even Buyou and Kirara held a place in her life, and she cared for both of them immensely. None of them, however, seemed to fill that one small niche in her heart and life that so needed to be filled.
Much of the last five years, she had spent filling that one place in her heart with the need to be there for her friends and for others. Giving all that she could to help those who meant the most to her. She gave of herself, and from her heart, clinging to the sense that she was doing something good for someone else and that it was appreciated and needed. On some level it had helped, and she drove herself even harder to give more and do more.
Maybe she had just not given enough. Perhaps in some small way, wanting to have someone care about her was being selfish and now this pain was her punishment along with Inuyasha's hurtful words. Had she caused him pain in some way that she was unaware of? She had not meant to, but perhaps she had.
If that was the case, then she deserved the punishment that she was now experiencing. Perhaps this was the kami's way of reprimanding her for being bad. Inuyasha was always helping her when she was in danger, rescuing her when she was threatened, and he carried her throughout the country side a lot of the time. Maybe she had not shown her gratitude enough, or sincerely enough for all of the help that he gave her. And all of those times that she sat him, even if it seemed that it was for his own good. This must be punishment for having tortured him so.
All she really wanted was for him see how much she really loved him, and had hoped that he would return her love, as well. Was she not worthy of his love? Had she not done her best to show him just how much she really cared for him? Sure she had told him, but she knew that he had been betrayed before for showing his compassion to someone. So instead of just pushing him, or forcing herself on him, she had intend to give him space and time to see that she truly did love him with all of her heart. It was obviously not enough, or just all in vain.
Yes, there was no doubt in her mind that she had been selfish to want him to return her affections. While she could not help who her heart fell in love with, she had no right to expect Inuyasha to feel the same. It was apparent that he could never love her or accept her for who she was. All he wanted was the woman that he had loved long ago, even though she had pinned him to the Goshinboku, not the girl who had freed him from the darkness of that nightmare imprisonment.
Why could he not see how much Kikyou despised him, or realize that it was some other miracle that he put him to sleep for fifty years and not Kikyou's arrow. Didn't he remember how when Urasue first gave consciousness to the now dead priestess, her first words were to ask him why he was not dead? Even now, even knowing the truth, she still wanted nothing more than to take him to hell. Why could he not see that life offered so much more, and Kagome had only meant to show him that and to hopefully see him return her love for him.
Of course there was also those times when she had wished that Kikyou was no longer walking the earth. She had to admit that she had often wanted to see the once dead priestess gone forever. In her own mind, Kagome reasoned that she must be a most vile and evil person to want to wish someone dead. No wonder she was being punished, she really did deserve the pain that she was now feeling.
With that thought foremost in her mind, Kagome began to give into the pain and to let it consume her very being. She was un-deserving of being loved, no one would ever want her. She caused pain and hardship to those around her, got in the way and brought trouble just by her very presence. It was true, after all she was the one that carried the Shikon shards and that was able to sense them. When they were not being attacked because she carried the shards, they were attacked because she was able to find them.
If she just accepted her punishment and let the pain take her, she would no longer be there to cause so much trouble for those around her. If she was no longer around, she would not bring more trouble to them, put their lives in danger, or be there in the way distracting them in the heat of battle to save her life at the risk of their own. Yes! It was better this way.
Having come to that soul wrenching conclusion, Kagome stopped fighting the all consuming pain. Instead she gave herself up to it, and let it consume her. It seemed like it was literally tearing her apart one cell at a time. She was sure that her head was exploding and what was left of her mind, at least that part that might still have any kind of rational thought was being devoured. Every nerve was on fire and every muscle in a vice that could not be broken. As she let herself go, her screams of agony seemed to rip the night air apart along with her very soul. She would have begged for the sweet bliss of unconsciousness to take her, but she had nothing left to give it any thought with.
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By now, even Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippou had joined Inuyasha in an effort to reach their friend. The sounds of her pain filled screams had increased to the point where they could themselves feel her torment. It was more than just a mental anguish, but also a heart wrenching physical thing and all that they knew was that someone had to get to her and help her. It was a miracle that she even had a voice left to scream with. Alas, it was just more wasted effort as they all, even combined could not break the barrier that seemed to surround the girl.
Inuyasha had considered briefly the use of Red Tetsusaiga, but quickly thrust that idea aside as the resulting blast might also destroy Kagome. His burned hands were red with the blood that pour from them, but still he continued to bash and claw at the barrier. He could not give up, and nothing would stop him from his efforts to try to save the little Miko whose heart he had so badly tormented with his thoughtlessness. For the first time since the death of his mother, Inuyasha was feeling something he had sworn that he would never let himself feel again.
Fear! Spine chilling, mind numbing, almost blind fear. Fear that he was about to not only fail again to keep his promise to Kagome, but fear that he was going to lose another person who he cared so deeply for. What made this time even worse was that he was right there and could see everything that was happening, and he was powerless to do anything to help her.
The light that surrounded the tortured girl, seemed to suddenly brighten even more. It appeared to be emanating from Kagome, herself, although it was hard to be sure. The two powerful auras surrounding the girl, both youki and Miko, were now two separate and glowing forms, almost as though there were two individual souls, both writhing in terror and pain. To their utter astonishment, the screams that were steadily increasing as they were seemingly ripped from her very chest, changed drastically and suddenly it sounded like the horrific growls of a nearly mindless beast.
The change in sound was enough to give them all pause, and they all stood transfixed by the sight before them. There in the center of the sphere of light stood what they knew to be Kagome, yet at the same time it was definitely not the Kagome that they all knew. This one had eyes as red as blood and glowing like the most perfect of rubies. She sported fangs, and razor sharp claws. Her raven black hair was nearly twice the length that they were used to, and seemed to swirl in a breeze that none of them could feel, as it seemed to frame her head and shoulders like an over large living halo.
They could just make out what seemed to be the tips of pointed youkai ears, and even as they watched they would have sworn that there seemed to be some sort of stripes appearing on her face and wrists, even on her ankles. What they saw was all unbelievable, and yet they were all seeing it for themselves.
At that same moment, a blur of light seemed to come rushing out of the northwest and passed right through the barrier as if there was nothing there at all. It halted just short of the now obviously feral onna and for just a moment seemed to hang suspended in mid air as if studying what was taking place before them all, and taking stock of the situation. When it started to move, it appeared to be spreading itself upon the wind, reforming and reshaping itself even as they all watched in awe.
It was quite ghostly in form, but without a single doubt it appeared to be the ethereal spirit of an enormous inu youkai. Its now glowing form seemed to pulse with a power like nothing that they had ever seen or felt before. It was a rhythmic pulsing and seemed to be having a calming effect on the onna who was still writhing in pain, and growling like a vicious, half crazed animal. Her growls diminished quite noticeably at the calming presence of the inu, and even the pain seemed to lessen considerably, as the inu stepped closer to her and appeared to wrap itself around her tortured form.
As soon has the ethereal being made contact with the pain filled onna, the growling sounds almost stopped and were replaced by whimpers. It was almost like hearing a pup crying to a parent for relief of the pain that they suffered when sick. A soothing rumble sounded from the Great Inu that was carefully tending to the tormented onna's needs, and nuzzling her neck as it further brought comfort to her pain racked body.
It was about this time that another bright glowing form could be seen to dash into the clearing that was still surrounded by the barrier. Though smaller in size, it seemed no less powerful than the inu that came before it. This one seemed to focus more of the still tortured and torn auras that were still writhing in their own agony.
It fluttered briefly and spread itself as though upon the wind. Appearing to wrap itself around the two distraught aura's, it could be clearly seen that it was making every effort to give the two spirits a common ground from which to anchor themselves. At first it appeared that both were not immediately aware of the new entity. Each seemed to be trying to do anything that would take away the pain, and while it was obvious that they were trying to separate, there were equally clear moments when they appeared to turn on each other as through to fight and destroy each other.
Even through the barrier the Inu-tachi could feel the power radiating off of both of the Inu souls. They were surprised to see the smaller one unhesitatingly move to try to come to the aid of the young Miko's two so tortured souls. While the obvious youki half of her was no real threat to the small Inu-youkai soul, the Miko ki was and in the state that Kagome was currently in, it was more than apparent that her natural ki was unstable and unpredictable.
Despite this, the small inu soul continued to morph and change until it had completely surrounding the two souls that belonged to the little onna. Just as the larger Inu, the smaller one could be heard though barely, to give off a similar gentle rumble. The effects were almost immediate.
The moment that the smaller soul completely surrounded the two tortured entities, and began offering comfort and support to them, both seemed to readily recognize the form and easily responded to its efforts to comfort them and bring them back together. They circled around each other, settled and at the encouragement of this second spirit-like form, came together in a brilliant flash that filled the small clearing. When it cleared what had once been two separate souls, one youki and one Miko had joined back into the enormous golden soul that it had been before.
A low, but commanding bark could be heard from the inu soul a moment later, still curled around the little Miko's body. Briefly the entity raised his head, and looked at the smaller spirit. It appeared that both came to some kind of unspoken understanding, as the smaller form suddenly became a small bright sphere and seemed to dash off into the night, back from whence it came.
The larger form returned his head back to nuzzling and comforting the young onna, who by now was no longer writhing in pain. She was almost resting comfortably and even the whimpers that she had once been crying had died down enough to only be heard occasionally. The low, soothing rumbled growl of the inu soul continued to fill the area. It was obvious to all watching that it was doing a lot to help the small woman-child.
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Everything at first had been dark. It was the deep, lifeless, pitch of blackness that comes with total nothingness, the black that seems so empty that even a void would feel full. It did nothing to relieve the pain that had been ripping through her mind and body. No, in fact, it only seemed to further add to it. This total emptiness of anything, sight, sound, taste, touch, all of it was like being deprived of everything that Nature meant for the living to have. It was so intense, it felt almost like it was all being ripped away and nothing could ever make it come back.
Was this what death was? Or was it just the continuation of the punishment that she was being subjected to, being taken to the next level for all of the crimes that she had ever committed in life? The very idea of spending eternity like this was far more horrible than the pain, and her torment seemed to renew itself.
She had not meant to be such a horrible person. In fact, she had tried to be good. She knew with certainty that she had failed miserably and that this punishment was just what she deserved for all the uncaring, selfish, and bad things that she had done. If this was what Fate had in store for her, and what she had to face to make up for any of the hateful things that she had done in life, then she would accept it willingly, knowing that she could expect nothing more and had done nothing to earn better.
Still there was some almost distant part of her that seemed inclined to fight. It seemed like it had been a small part of herself, but it had grown and even now was getting bigger and stronger than she could recall it ever having been before. Although it was not quite the same, it felt something like that small area of her heart, where Akago had tried to find the darkness that would give him the focus to try to taint her soul.
While that darkness seemed stronger, and larger than before, it still felt like that part of any soul that was perfectly natural to one's existence. Just as there was a light side to everyone, so too there was a dark side. It was just the ying and yang of the soul and that, which was meant to be, giving balance to life.
Even as Kagome could feel the beating of her heart slow as she gave into the pain, this other side of herself, the side that seemed to be the part of her that held her fire, determination, drive, and will, lashed out at her failure to fight for her life instead of giving up. She could feel the almost primal nature of the beast within that darker recess of her mind, as it roared with a rage that Kagome could not recall ever having felt before.
Oh, she recalled those times when her ire was at such a point that she could almost feel the fire that burned deep within, and seemed to give her a strength that she didn't even know much of the time that she had. It was that part of herself that fought so strongly for those she most cared about, and fueled her determination to keep going when times were hard or even overwhelming.
She recalled when Akago had attempted to use that part of herself to taint her pure soul and encourage a hatred that she could never bring herself to feel. As she had held the babe of Naraku in her arms, he had delved deep into her very soul to find that darkness that all beings have. She knew that in some that darkness was larger and stronger than in others, but nevertheless it is a part of all living things.
In Naraku's case, it is his dark side that is predominate, suppressing his lighter side until it was almost nonexistent. Beings such as the vile hanyou, were the ones who brought terror, blood shed, and hatred into the world and made life hell for the living. They derived pleasure from the pain that they caused for others and found it hard to understand any other way of life. Compassion, and peace held no value and tended to be brutally pushed away.
For those like Inuyasha, where there was both a strong dark side, and a strong light side, it was harder as they were torn much of the time as to which side to follow or allow to be the more dominate side. For people like him, life was a never ending battle of trying to find that one place where both sides could work together in harmony. Many failed and ended up living secluded lives that ultimately killed them for the shear boredom and loneliness that resulted, or they died the most violent of deaths because they succumbed to their more sinister natures.
Of course, there were those who leaned most strongly towards their light sides, many of them living among the houshi and miko of the world. They were the ones that most easily found peace in even the simplest of things that nature provided, but held onto enough of their dark side, to be willing to fight for the right to that peace for everyone.
Yes, it was a simplified understanding of what was transpiring, but nevertheless, it was a truth. Kagome was a pure soul by Nature, her very powers granted by that same source. They were a gift that the kami awarded her, and it was through her loving and compassionate heart that they were so strong.
At the same time, it was that small dark corner that gave her not only the will to survive, but also to fight and defend all that she so strongly believed in and that she held most dear. It held back the fear that others would feel in the face of overwhelming odds, or standing up to the enemy knowing that she might not walk away. It was that same part of her soul that gave her the ability to choose, to make decisions, and to act upon them regardless of the consequences. It was that which gave her strength of will and strength of character.
It was strongly countered by her light side, the side that held onto all of her compassion, love, desire, and knowledge. This was the side that reasoned, gave her the ability to be rational, and think in a logical fashion. This side of her being was the one that saw all of the options and could tell what the consequences of things might be. It gave balance to her darker side, just as the dark gave balance to the light.
Due to her upbringing, Kagome had learned to understand both sides of herself, and that they were both a natural part of who she was. She didn't have to like all of the various aspects that each part made, but she understood them and accepted them as all being part of who and what she was. It was that balance that was now being threatened, because of the pain and torment that her lighter side felt. Her darker side however, strengthened by still unknown recent events had become a much stronger part of her than even she was yet aware of.
As both sides warred over the right to live or die, her very soul was being torn asunder. This in turn only added to the pain, as the two souls were being torn from each other. One could not live without the other, but at the moment neither side was aware enough to care or even know that in their own way, they were bringing about their own demise.
If the light side won out, she was slowly die as almost nothing more than a vegetable, conscious, intelligent, and caring, but completely unable to choose, respond, or act on anything of her own free will. If the darker side won out, she would be left an almost mindless beast, violent and unreasoning, choosing on a whim, and not caring of the consequences of those choices.
On some deep seated level, the tormented soul understood all of this, but seemed to be unable to do anything to gain control of the situation. She wanted so much to just end the pain, to find some small piece of happiness that she could call her own, to belong and feel like she counted for something. She didn't want to live her life because of who others wanted her to be, but just because of who she already was.
Her light side was tired of the burden that life seemed to have forced upon her, wanting only for it all to end. She felt that the only way to stop it all was to give in to the pain and let it all end. Her dark side was raging in its own fight, for it too was tired of the pain and torment, but was not yet ready to give up. That part of her wanted more than anything to hang onto life and continue to survive, to fight the pain and find the means to drive it away. The resulting conflict between her two sides only added ten fold to the torment that she suffered.
In her despair, all that she could find was where she had failed. Failed all of those around her by being weak and a burden, and failed herself by being unable to separate her identity from the one person who seemed to look back at her no matter which direction she turned.
Yes, she looked like Kikyou, and she would not deny that she was the dead priestess' re-incarnation. It was irrefutable, especially as they both obviously shared the same soul. Still, that didn't mean that she was Kikyou, any more than it meant that Kikyou was Midoriko.
Yes, it was more than obvious right from the beginning that Kikyou was a re-incarnation of the Ancient Warrior Priestess. That had only been confirmed by the soul of Midoriko herself in the cave from which the jewel first came into being. When Kikyou had stolen the bit of Midoriko's soul to heal herself of Naraku's reappearing wounds, it had told the dead priestess that they shared the same soul. Kohaku had confirmed this from the information that his shard of the jewel had given him.
Urasue would not have been able to bring Kikyou back to life, if it had not been for her stealing Kagome's soul, and it was still that small part her soul that kept Kikyou walking among the living. It only stood to reason that if Kikyou and Kagome shared the same soul, and Midoriko and Kikyou shared the same soul, then obviously Kagome also shared the same soul as Midoriko.
Just has Kikyou was not Midoriko, however, so Kagome was not Kikyou. Unfortunately, Fate seemed inclined to keep putting the young Miko into a place where that seemed to be all that anyone saw. Those that knew Kikyou, or heard of her, saw her in Kagome, and unfortunately, Inuyasha could not seem to see beyond that image, and was unable to accept the young onna for who she was, not who she appeared to be.
The seemingly never ending torment pushed and pulled at her so much that at first she never even sensed the presence that came upon her. She was not aware of the entity that suddenly surrounded her and carefully cradle her in a warmth that she so desperately wanted. More importantly, it gave her the grounding that she needed to anchor herself and try to get a grip on what was happening to her.
It was the soft, rumbling vibrations that first caught her attention, even as she noticed that the pain was easing, and that someone was nearby and holding her. It took a moment longer for her to realize that she was being held in a loving embrace and to notice that a warm, soothing, clawed hand was rubbing gentle circles along her spine. She could feel the comforting rhythmic vibrations of a rumbled growl, as she was held against a firm, strong chest.
For the briefest of moments, she wondered why she was so accepting of being held by what should have felt like a stranger, and yet, she knew some how that this was not true. On some level that she readily felt, but could not quite understand, being held by whoever this was, seemed and felt perfectly normal and was exactly how it should be. Without question, or any further reservations, she welcomed the offered comfort, and warmth, and leaned into the strength being offered.
Something familiar nuzzled her neck. The action felt so soothing, sending waves of comfort through her entire body. It seemed to further ease the pain and encourage rest. It held a promise of respite from the anguish, and protection from the pain. Kagome could not help but feel drawn by the compassion and felt undeniable trust in the presence that surrounded her in a wall of peace and comfort. For the first time in a long while, she felt grounded and centered. She felt that she could pull through and actually stand strong once more.
Though at first reluctant, for fear of finding that she was just in a dream and that it would all go away if she did, Kagome opened her eyes. It took a moment for her to focus, as just like with the flashes of pain before, she was seeing at first nothing but white. This time, however, it was not followed by more pain, but only further made her feel like she was safe, warm, and desired. It was like someone, or something was willing to shield her from the pain, and to protect her from all that might threaten her.
Whoever this was, they were powerful. She could feel their power almost as though it were thrumming along every nerve and muscle. It left her tingling with both anticipation and relief, but she could not quite understand why.
It took a moment to focus enough to make out that the white was hair, and a moment after that to find that the warmth was from the softest and silkiest fur that she could ever remember having felt before. She found herself almost snuggling into the warm and fluffy mantel, wanting to do nothing more than get lost in the silky feel of it.
At her action, she felt the arms that were holding her tighten ever so slightly, the silky fur seemingly entwined around her, pulling her closer, and the rumbling sound seemed to deepen in tone. She once more felt the familiar nuzzling along her neck where it joined her shoulder. Another soothing sense of comfort washed through her at the action and she turned her head just enough to once more look at what seemed to surround her.
Just through the silvery strands of hair and soft fur that she rested against, she could make out the almost elfish point of an ear. Following along its graceful curves she could see the beginnings of what appeared to be two maroon stripes. As she continued to turn her head a bit more, she was surprised at the sense of loss when the feeling at her neck pulled away. Still, she wanted to see the face of her protector, to look into the eyes of the one that seemed to be willing to offer her the comfort of a warm embrace, and loving touch. She wanted to use her fingers to brush the face of the one who was willing to be there for her when she most needed someone who cared.
As she looked into the face of the one who had rescued her and seen the trademark symbols of the twin maroon stripes, burning eyes of gold, and the more than familiar blue of a crescent moon on a stoic visage, all thought left the young onna. Darkness threatened once more to overwhelm her senses with only one word to fill the emptiness she felt.....
'Sesshoumaru.....'
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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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A/N - Yep! Back again! Sorry for the delay. Knee is still very swollen and just being at the computer is against doctor's orders. But hey! What he don't know...HEH! HEH! HEH!
Anywho...The plot sickens....erh...uhm...uh...I mean thickens. While there is no real dialog in this particular chapter, it was one that was so busy that dialog ended up taking a back seat. There is much for everyone to contemplate and reflect on, some of which will lead to more questions, while others will provide some answers. Answers that will not necessarily be welcomed by all.
What exactly is happening to Kagome? Was it all triggered by Inuyasha's behavior or is it due to the potion? Will this encounter, odd though it is, be the turning point for Kagome to start remembering those gaps in time that she has lost? Will she accept what is happening, and who has forced the current situation on her? Will she lose herself to the Realm of the Dead, or will she end up in the Land of Insanity? Can Sesshoumaru help keep either from happening? What is happening to his body and what is his Blood Beast doing in his absence? Will the inner Inu take advantage of the sudden freedom presented, or will he behave himself?
So many questions and still so few answers. Will they be forthcoming soon? HEH! HEH! HEH!
May the blessings of Inari stand watch over all of the survivors of both hurricanes in the south, and over the wonderful folks below who have taken the time to read, rate, and review:
Megan Consoer, Inukame, Dragoncountess98, Lori
Sam_Sama_Death2: Happy Birthday a bit early. With some luck, I might be able to get another chapter up before the big B-Day.
Kinoko: I remember reading stories as a kid that worked in this way. It caught my attention very much for the same reason that it catches yours. I like to think that setting is as important as what the characters are doing, and that it is as much a living part of the tale, as anything.
Vermillion 3: Lemonade coming to this fic soon! Promise!