InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Trapped In Between ❯ Inbetween Nothing ( Chapter 4 )

*bashes head* Gah! You have NO IDEA how much I've pulled my hair out over this one, seriously… *looks at hair* …it's thinning out… I got absorbed in other fanfictions, tests, last minute school projects now that school has started up again… basically, a lot of crap. I had wandered away from this fic a bit, and then when I finally decided to get working on it, I forgot where the plot was going…

So, now that I have a decent idea of what I had originally planned for the plot, I have written chapter four (even though it's waaaaay late). I know that I promised it to be long, but it's not… I found the cut off point a bit earlier in the chapter than I'd initially intended, but chapter five will be at least 17 pages. (as I'm estimating)

Disclaimer: *holds up sign* I don't own Inuyasha. *glares at disclaimer and purses lips* You're really rubbing it in, huh?

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Trapped In Between

Chapter 4: Trapped Within Nothing

By: Kaji-chan

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Inuyasha's eyes shot open the second he felt his conscious drift away from the dream, shooting upwards into a sitting position. For a few seconds, he couldn't remember what he had dreamed about, his memory blank in a lapse of inattentiveness. "Shikon no… tama…" he whispered absently, Inuyasha's gaze shifting down towards the body lying in his arms.

The jewel was glowing softly, glimmering in the early morning rays as it lay inanimately around her neck. Inuyasha felt his hand unconsciously reach out for it, his fingers closing around the small piece of the jewel, feeling its warmth quiver slightly in his palm. He stared at it for a while, his eyes unblinking as the stages of his dream rolled over in his head. This was her lifeline, this tiny piece of a gem.

His eyes slid closed, a sigh escaping his lips. He dropped the shard, letting it fall back into place on her chest, resting his hand on her cheek. Even though the life had drained from her face, it still radiated a subtle sense of beauty; still soft, flawless and without scars.

Inuyasha looked down at her hand lying nonchalantly across her stomach, clasping them in his and kissing it lightly. A saddened smile graced his lips. They were still warm…

Wait… warm?

His eyes shot open and he looked down at the wound on her side, realizing that it had begun to close. His astonished gaze trailed to each of her wounds, all of them slightly closing up… she was healing. He leaned down to her chest, tilting her head to the side so his ear could attune to any quiet noises her body might emit.

His eyebrows scrunched together. There wasn't a heartbeat, and there was no sign of any breathing… What did that mean?

"Inuyasha."

His head jerked up to see a solemn Miroku standing before him, clutching his staff. "We… we should bring Kagome's body to Kaede." A pained expression crossed his normally calmed features, and he looked down. "It's been at least 24 hours by now."

The hanyou was silent, staring angrily at the ground.

At his continued silence, Miroku finally looked up, a slightly irritated expression on his face. "Inuyasha, please." Inuyasha looked away, a scowl present. "We should at least visit with Kaede-sama, the village is just past the tree line. Speaking with her might calm-"

Inuyasha's head snapped up, his livid glare piercing through the monk. "I don't need to be fucking calmed," he snarled, his hands reflexively tightening their hold on Kagome.

Miroku's firm stance faltered. "Inuyasha, we should at least perform the proper burial services-"

"NO," Inuyasha growled, his eyes flashing furiously.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted, his calm demeanor slipping. "Do not pretend you are the only one who cares for Kagome! Stop being so damned selfish!" Inuyasha flinched slightly, but his glare did not waver. "Sango's been crying since yesterday because you won't let anyone even touch Kagome. She has a right, Kagome was practically the only family she's had the past two years!"

Inuyasha's gaze trailed to the ground, but Miroku's eyes just narrowed more, his pent up anger seeping into his words. Inuyasha's consistent stubbornness and Sango's grief was paying its toll. "We are all sad and we are all frustrated. Don't think you're the only one! Why don't you stop being and asshole for once and let us properly take care of Kagome's body?!"

There was a lapse of silence in which Inuyasha glared at the ground, refusing to answer Miroku. Why should they take Kagome to Kaede's? It would just be more people fussing over her, and that was the last thing he wanted. Then again, she would most likely be able to help Inuyasha sort out the problem with the Shikon no Tama. Closing his eyes and snorting irritably, he finally gave the monk an approving grunt.

"I'll inform the others that we shall be heading towards the village, Inuyasha." Miroku sighed tetchily, shaking his head and walking away to inform the others of their decision, wearing a slightly pained expression. He could tell that Inuyasha was not handling this situation well. Truthfully, he never did. Inuyasha was the type to ignore the signs carved right in front of him.

They were all mourning the loss of their close companion, they were all sad. But at least they realized there was no taking back what had been done. They might not have accepted that fact, but they recognized it.

Inuyasha continued to glare, but had adverted his gaze towards the horizon, closing himself off from more conversation. Miroku frowned at his turned form, but said nothing more to him, instead turning and leaving him to his thoughts.

The hanyou ignored the monk's leave, turning his head to glare at a tree. He wasn't giving up on her so easily. He wouldn't give up on her. He was going to bring her back. No matter what.

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Inuyasha watched as Kaede murmured a series of prayers over Kagome's inanimate body, wearing a sorrowed expression. His face was drawn into a scowl, but his eyes said otherwise, sorrow shining in their depths.

He had finally explained to everyone why they couldn't bury her body, and they had all thoroughly discussed how they would deal with the presented problem. Inuyasha, though reluctant, had finally allowed Kaede to detect any type of spell on her body, but had found none. They had also found out that Naraku had disappeared. Again. It seemed that everywhere they went, they were hitting a dead end.

Kaede sighed, laying her prayer beads on a small table and turning to face Inuyasha. "There's nothing I can do. If I knew what was wrong with her…"

Inuyasha frowned. What were they going to do?

Kaede moved towards the fire, a small pot simmering above it. "I don't know how to tell. It's almost impossible to decipher what is keeping her body alive even though her spirit has left her body…"

Inuyasha suddenly sprang forward, his hand grabbing the material of the old woman's sleeve and tugging it. "Wait… you said it was just her spirit gone from her body?"

The old miko gave him a puzzled look. "Yes." She pulled her arm back and picked up a stick to stoke the lowering fire. "Why?"

"Isn't that like… when Kikyou's soul snatchers take someone's soul…?" he asked quietly.

Kaede turned to gaze at him in question, her old eyes wise. "Yes?"

Inuyasha's eyes delved into an expression of thought. "So… she would be able to return to her body, wouldn't she…?

The old woman smiled, nodding and turning back to stoking to fire. "Of course, we would need her spirit," she said, hunched over in the task of bringing life back to the embers.

Inuyasha sighed, turning to Kagome's form. His eyes saddened, making his way over to kneel beside her. His hands brushed over her cheek, a sad smile crossing his features before pulling a blanket over her from its resting place at the foot of the futon. Even if she couldn't feel the warmth it gave her.

The old miko watched him with astute eyes. 'How terrible this has become…'

The hanyou stood once again, turning for the door, his eyes softened. "So… all I have to do is find her spirit?" he asked calmly, reaching to hold up the flimsy door curtain.

Kaede nodded. "Yes, but she will be invisible to your eyes. After all, if she is trapped here in this realm as we assume, then we should be able to find her if we discover one who can see the dead spirits."

Inuyasha stood there, silently contemplating. Who would be able to see her spirit? Certainly not him. Perhaps someone with more power, then? His eyes widened. Of course!

He turned to the old woman. "Kaede-baba, watch her while I'm gone."

Kaede looked at him questioningly. "Where are you going?"

"To a reunion."

Kaede had no time to inquire what he had meant, for the hanyou had disappeared from sight, the only sign of his wake being the swinging curtain of her door.

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Outside Kaede's window, a lone figure smiled sweetly, watching after his retreating form with a shining glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Yes, Inuyasha. That is the way."

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Yes! Chapter four OUT! DONE! FINISHED! *dances* Already working on chapter five. I KNOW this one is WAY short, but the next one will be WAY long, I promise! *whistles and giggles, wandering off to begin on chapter five* Oh, it's all planned out in my head… ^_^ See if you can guess who he's going to see! ^_~

Ja for now!