InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unbridled, Unvoiced Passions ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

Unbridled, Unvoiced Passions

A bittersweet love story

In the depths of a hidden room, a library aged with the written works and family trinkets of a long forgotten tale. Scrolls, held captive from the brutal maturity of paper, told the secrets of lost time, of forgotten battles, of legends and myths, but mostly of his unbridled, unvoiced passions.

The room, sealed by an ancient magic, is opened after nearly three centuries of dormancy. A girl's curiosity and utmost respect for all things lost to time discovers the secrets of the hidden chambers; a secret she was unknowingly a part of. However, opening the chamber just might have been the biggest mistake of her life.

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Chapter 11

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A growl ripped throughout the lands of the lower Western forests, alerting any and every living creature of his anger. Demons and humans alike that knew of the cry and what it represented shivered in fear for whoever dare harm someone that was under the protection of the Western Prince.

A rumble coursed across the grounds as his massive paws carried him towards the clearing of the bone-eaters well. There the demon slayer, the monk, the undead priestess and his younger brother met him with a mix of both fear and rage filled eyes.

His own eyes, however, never left the sight of Kagome's limp body as it hung in the air, suspended only by the will of Hakudoushi. A low warning growl was issued to the small doppelganger-like offspring of Naraku, one he was sure the runt understood quite clearly.

An eerie silence met the ears of all those listening until finally the boy decided to speak, his voice soft, controlled and almost feminine in quality.

"She belongs to us now Sesshoumaru; we made a deal to keep her jewel shards and decided to keep her as well."

Another growl ripped from his commanding form, this one much more threatening and far angrier than the last. However, the child sized demon only smiled in response and raised the girl a bit higher.

"There is nothing you can do about it. Our deal was sealed with a life."

A voice rang out and startled everyone, not only with its presence, but with the words as well.

"Her life is mine, Hakudoushi."

Sesshoumaru growled and turned crimson eyes on the mate of his brother. It was clear that she was the one that had gambled with Kagome's life, something he and Kagome had been expecting though they didn't expect her to have involved Naraku in her insidious plot. The thought made his growl increase in warning.

"You will have your life back, Kikyou, but we will have her life"

Kikyou didn't move, didn't smile, didn't frown, she didn't do anything and it chilled him to the core. Her malice was far worse than his, taking life for her own once she had already died; it was low and dishonorable.

"Her life is my life, fool"

The words themselves were spoken flat and with barely more emotion than his was usually, but the weight of them was enough to bring back his sensible side. He reverted back to his humanoid form and had the undead bitch against the tree by her throat in less than a heartbeat.

"You would take her life for your own; do you hate her that much?"

It took everything he had to keep his signature calm and not snarl in her face before ripping her to pieces. Something about that question seemed oddly familiar, he noted. To her credit, the woman merely glanced at him and his hand before leveling him with a glare and replying.

"She does not belong here. I do"

His growl rippled along the fabric of her clothing, the very strength of it putting new fear into those present, all except the one it should have.

"The dead should learn to stay dead"

He pushed harder on her throat then, cutting off all air from her lungs and fought not to crush her neck completely; he wanted to watch her suffer for even thinking of harming Kagome.

His body was ripped back from the woman as Inuyasha placed himself between them, displaying a sense of both speed and strength of which he had never seen the boy utilize before. He was defending his mate, and though the act itself was honorable, the woman was not and so his defense of her was seen as once again foolish.

"Do not protect those that do not deserve it"

Inuyasha didn't budge from his spot; actually he lowered himself into a combat stance and growled out to his brother firmly.

"She is my mate, Sesshoumaru. I will not let you harm her."

Sesshoumaru noticed his brother's blood red eyes and jagged marked cheeks; his demon blood had taken control, yet he remained himself. His respect grew just a notch for his little brother, but then so did his irritation.

Turning away from the pair to once more regard the vile filth of Naraku's creation, Sesshoumaru growled low and ground out to his brother.

"I'll deal with you later."

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She could see them all as though she were wide awake and simply watching them. It felt so unreal and yet so damn terrifying.

The moment her arrow had hit Hakudoushi, a massive wave of miasma curled itself into her lungs and forced her to suck in more poison than her body could handle. It hurt so bad trying to breathe, but she knew she had to; she would die if she didn't at least try, and she knew that she was not weak enough to fall prey to this dirty trick.

Kagome held onto that thought and pushed on her lungs with all that she had. It was so hard to tell if she was doing something or not because her entire body was numb.

Tears wanted to form, wanted to fall, but she didn't know if they were actually achieving that goal; she couldn't feel anything at all. She wanted to scream, to tell that horrible creature that she wasn't weak enough to fall under his spell, but it seemed so hopeless.

She could still see everyone, the way they all worried over her. It pained her deep down to know that they would all feel guilty for not `protecting her' because that's what they had been doing since the very day she arrived in the feudal era.

What hurt the most, though, had to have been the fact that Sesshoumaru was upset about the whole situation and he shouldn't have been. Kagome knew that he found something curious about her and was her current protector, but she never once deluded herself into thinking that he could be anything more than a passing friend because she was human; he may not hate them, but he certainly didn't like them.

What he was saying, doing right then, at that moment…fighting for her, it made her wonder if there was something underneath all that she saw that she had somehow missed. She realized it was possible for him to care for her and that it wasn't because she could find the jewel, or shoot a purifying arrow, or travel to the future.

The realization jolted something powerful in her then, an instinct born of every creature. She had to live, had to because they needed her to, because they wanted her to, because he wanted her to. They all cared about her in one way or another and now there was someone that was learning to care for her the way she always prayed for.

Kagome knew she was stronger than the poison; she had fought against it before. There was no way she was going to lose and there was no way she was going to beg for her life; she could save herself this time.

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The tangy scent of salt permeated the air in small wisps that followed the winds subtle currents. All demons near raised their noses and sniffed lightly to find the source of the tears and froze.

Two small trails of water trekked down the gently tanned face of none other than their beloved Kagome. Her entire body appeared serene and calm, but her tears were screaming an entirely different scene.

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He thought she was dead, that she hadn't survived, and even now searched frantically for any evidence of life in her. He knew that she was alive, she had to be; the dead did not cry.

A very loud and prominent scream of utter determination ripped through the stillness and shook the earth with the very power Mother Nature had blessed her with.

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It hurt so badly, so very badly that it made her cry. She could feel those tears this time, she could feel them like the damning grace they were.

She was going to win, she was going to live, and she was going to kick the living shit out of anyone that tried to hurt her again. But first she had to wake up, and Hakudoushi seemed to be aware of her rousing state because he was feeding her miasma even stronger now.

He thought she was weak, that stupid little terror thought that she was weak. Didn't he know who she was? Did he not realize how foolish his attempts were? She will not die, because she is not weak.

She tried to yell at him, to tell him that his attempts were useless, that she refused to die because she had too much to live for. Her mind repeated over and over, a new mantra born of her fierce determination and fueled by her protector's want for her saftey, I am not weak. But every time she tried to utter even a moan, pain shot through her entire body.

Endless tears of pain rolled down her cheeks and again she felt them, she had to have been waking up. Kagome gathered all the power nature gave her and screamed louder…

"I AM NOT WEAK!"

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A bright light lanced out across the lower regions of the western forest, pure and righteous in its strength. It was beautiful, the sheer magnitude alone causing everyone to turn away and shield their eyes.

It calmed and he had only a second to realize that Hakudoushi's body, though not completely purified, was not there and that Kagome was falling. He didn't think, didn't analyze, he simply moved to catch the falling woman.

He felt slow then, as though his superior demon speed would not be enough to reach her in time. A sharp pang raced through him then and he was sure he didn't want to know what it was.

His feet left the ground in a desperate attempt to get to the woman, as her body fell unmercifully faster towards the hard earth. He reached out and, catching her by the strip of her collar pulled her body towards his own.

With a quick yet swift tug, he repositioned her to nestle her upper body in the crook of his arm while he turned her legs to rest her lower body against his own.

Her eyes fluttered a bit, causing him to look down into soft honey eyes misted over with fatigue and an indolent haze. He found her staring up at him as best she could and noticed a slight smile curving her cherry lips.

She spoke softly, as though the words themselves weighed more than the world.

"I saved myself this time"

With that her eyes closed again and she was lost to a peaceful dream that only she would ever know.

He stared down at her for a moment and let smile claim his untouched lips. The foreign act probably would have scared the young maiden, but he didn't want to fight it, not this time.

His feet gently touched the earth, knees bending a little to soften the motion even more, as he turned and began a slow walk towards the hut of the old priestess Kaede with his small package.

She looked serene and calm, as though everything was right in the world and to her it probably was at that moment. For the first time in her life, the little priestess had saved herself, had relied on her own merits to escape danger in a near death experience; she had every right to be proud of herself and to rest.

He didn't even notice his brother's snort of disapproval or the dreamy, apprehensively fear crossed look that played across Sango's features. The monk merely followed them without reservation; he was simply happy that his friend was out of danger.

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"That's not what I mean"

Miroku leaned against his staff and let out a careful sigh. Sango was being ridiculous about the whole situation and though his patience was something to marvel at, he couldn't stay calm forever and this little fireball was definitely trying her luck right now.

"Has he hurt her?"

"Well, no. Not recently at least"

"Has he given us any indication that he intends to hurt any of us? He is even civil with Inuyasha!"

"I know, but that still doesn't make it right. He was our enemy, Monk, he tried to kill us, and now we're just letting him have his way with Kagome?"

Miroku shook his head and laughed lightly. He understood that Kagome was more than just a friend to all of them; especially to Sango…they were like sisters actually. Still, her doubts were misplaced when it came to Sesshoumaru; he could see that the demon meant them no harm, though he was still unsure as to the strange and slightly unstable relationship he and Kagome had struck upon.

"I don't think he's really a danger to us, but we should still be careful. He is very strong and if he wanted to, he could kill each of us before we knew it…"

Miroku knew she was worried, but enough was enough. Her fear was misguided now and so he cut her off.

"He is not underhanded"

"What?"

He resisted a sigh and leveled his gaze on the beauty before him. Perhaps they could stop this useless argument now so he could get down to more important business, like defeating Naraku so that he could get on with other plans he had for life.

"In all of our dealings with Sesshoumaru, as enemy or ally, he has never once used a tactic that would have me believe he does anything deceitful. He is an honorable person, Sango why would that change now?"

She seemed to be considering his words for a moment before she smiled.

"I guess you're right"

"Of course I am my lady"

"Don't let it go to your head Monk; you think too much of yourself as it is!"

He put a hand to his heart and leaned back in mockery of being stabbed.

"My lady, your words wound me"

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Sango laughed at his antics and began walking into the small town. The group was running low on a few supplies and she had managed to save up a little money from some of their earlier adventures so she was going to stock up a bit.

She looked behind her to find the 'holy' man following her at a very lazy pace. Her eye twitched in annoyance and she reached out to slap him.

When her hand met skin, she simply whispered a low warning to him and continued walking.

"You would do well to walk next to me. Lech"

She heard him chuckle and couldn't repress the smile that followed. He may be perverted, may even grow to be old and nasty, but she still cared for him; he just had to learn how to respect women the right way, lest he wants to grow old all by himself.

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Her clothes fluttered with the wind, her hair dancing around her pale face to create a mesmerizing dance of dark silk. To the world she was calm and emotionless, but to him she was the epitome of anger and bitterness.

He was torn; his mate wanted to kill his best friend for her own benefits. Though he should stand by his mate through whatever decision she made, he just couldn't bring himself to cause harm to his precious one.

Kagome was special, unique in every way. Kikyou did have a point, she didn't belong in this era; he had said so himself. But that was years ago and he had learned that some things aren't as simple as that.

If Kagome didn't belong here, then why did the Gods bring her here? She certainly didn't volunteer her life to be turned upside down, even though he was sure she would have if given the right incentives. That was beside the point. What was he going to do?

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Kikyou stood atop a small hill and studied the village before her with a critical gaze. That woman was in there and currently protected by a very formidable foe.

She had been unusually careless in the presence of Hakudoushi; so sure was she that Kagome would not survive the attack that she had revealed herself. Now she was faced with exile, she knew because the girl was that well protected, and she had done something else that she was sure she would regret if she knew how.

Inuyasha was not to blame for this, but he was tied to her as she was tied to him. They would rise together and fall together, and she may well have condemned them to fall before they ever got the chance to rise. That was far from her intentions.

Despite popular belief, Kikyou really did love her half-demon just as he was. Why else would she be so intent on ridding this time of her reincarnation? Kagome had everything she wanted and that included Inuyasha, despite his choice for mating. The woman reminded Kikyou of herself, what she was before her first death, what she could have been if her life were not bound to the restrictions it had been exposed to.

Kagome was everything Kikyou wanted to be, and would be once she could get rid of her. They could not live in the same time with only one soul to sustain them both, but it seemed that she could not kill the woman.

Kikyou turned her eyes to Inuyasha and let out a soft sigh, releasing her cold mask from view to be replaced with a tortured sorrow. There was still another way to get her soul back, though it wasn't guaranteed, it was worth the try.

For the first time in Kikyou's life, she was going to embark on a mission that she wasn't sure what all the possible outcomes were; desperate times call for desperate measures. She heard Kagome say that once and it seemed to fit perfectly with her current situation.

Kikyou began walking down the hill towards the tree Inuyasha was brooding in and repressed another sigh. He would have to continue on without her for a while. She couldn't take him to the places she was going because he was still alive, but she had to go so that she might get her soul back.

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Kaede bustled around the small hut in quick and efficient movements that had him in awe of her old age and lithe grace. She was good at what she did and the old woman refused to let age hinder her duties.

Though he saw all of this, his eyes never left the one before him. Her breaths came in soft, calm interludes of quiet pain. He could see her pain in every pore of her skin, it radiated from her and tainted the air in the small hut.

Her honey brown eyes were closed gently, but moving rapidly with the aches and nightmares that haunted her. Whatever Hakudoushi did, it still hadn't left her. Kagome was plagued with some evil he couldn't even imagine.

Sweat trickled from her skin in every direction to make room for more to gather. A small, wet cloth was laid across her forehead to ward off the heat that had suddenly set in her body, but it didn't seem to be enough.

The tiny hut felt small and daunting, closing in its walls on him. He couldn't breathe, he was suffocating in there; he had to get out.

His movements made little noise as he stood and left, the bamboo hanging only protesting his exit slightly from his taller frame. Once free of the thick air of illness, Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and began walking towards the region of the western forest that the local villagers had named after Inuyasha.

There was something wrong with him, something he didn't understand; it was something he didn't want to understand, he was sure. Whatever it was, it had to do with her, with Kagome.

He fought for her, not surprising since he vowed his protection over her, but he didn't think about it. Everything he had done was completely instinctual, from transforming into his true form to carrying the woman into the care of the older priestess; he had no true control over his actions and it scared him.

It was dangerous in battle to not know what your next move would be, to not analyze your enemy's moves; but when Kagome was in danger...he didn't think at all.

She was becoming more of a danger to be near than he had expected and it made him wonder if he could stay. He was well known for his precision and speed in battle, but with her he was slow and sloppy; he needed to get away from her.

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Inuyasha watched her for a moment under the falling leaves of the autumn trees. For a moment he could see the woman she was when he first met her, the strange priestess that walked the path of carnage and evil while keeping her purity.

She had been calm and quick in her decision, but every word felt like a mountain pressing down on his very soul little by little. Every bit of pain he had ever felt seemed to flood into him and weigh down his reserves like nothing he had felt before.

Kikyou was leaving him; she was leaving on a mission he couldn't share with her. If that wasn't bad enough, he knew what it was she was going to do without her having to tell him, not that she would.

She knew what it would do to him and so tried to be discreet about it. For that he was grateful, but he wasn't dumb. He knew that she was going to find another way to rob the soul back from Kagome.

He wanted to stop her, to tell her it was wrong...because it was. But that would mean condemning her to death again and that was something he just couldn't do.

Inuyasha wanted to cry, to scream, to hate the Gods and fate for all of the torture he had been put through. What did he ever do to deserve this sort of life? This was a pain he couldn't handle and he couldn't numb it away.

With a heavy heart, his head dropped and he walked away. Kagome needed him right now and there was nothing else for him to do but to go to her and make sure she was safe.

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Sesshoumaru sat beneath the bows of a tree that skirted the boundaries of the small village Kagome was in. His head leaned back against the bark and rested with eyes closed to the falling sun.

There was so much beauty in the air that it made him sick. He felt something deep inside of him ache with the thought that Kagome was hurting and the world continued on. It wasn't right, nature's child was in pain, dying, and still life continued in beautiful arrays of reds and gold's; not even a drop of rain was spared to mourn her illness.

It was a ridiculous feeling, he knew, but it was one he had never felt and so had no control over the wayward emotion. The thought brought out a low, feral growl from the very recesses of his darkest essence.

She was affecting him in more ways than she should be and she was completely unconscious. He knew then that he couldn't stay; there was more at stake than his sanity now. His life could very well be in jeopardy if he were to face his nemesis right now because he knew that his concentration would be lost on the worries of her.

Sesshoumaru stood and turned toward the bone eaters well only to see Inuyasha walking towards the village. He was going to see Kagome no doubt, but he looked sad and...guilty?

Good. The whelp deserved that pain, to know that he would defend the creature that was out to kill Kagome was reason enough for him to hate his brother. But why was he sad?

It didn't matter, not anymore. Sesshoumaru was leaving and he would not be coming back, not like this at least. None of those people were any of his concern anymore, just as it should be.

"Inuyasha"

His brother turned to him and stared in surprise. Apparently he expected Sesshoumaru to be inside with Kagome. Did they all see what he felt then too? The thought disgusted him; that he would fall so far as to feel anything for a human and others notice it was beyond despicable. Still, she deserved to know.

"I will return when Naraku comes."

He wanted to say more, to make sure that Kagome would understand. But how was she to understand if he himself didn't?

"You're leaving?"

Inuyasha sounded shocked, alarmed even, that he was departing their company. Why would he care? Didn't he want him gone anyhow?

His silence must have been answer enough, as it usually was, if Inuyasha's scowl was any indication.

"You would leave her now? Why?"

Sesshoumaru was taken off guard for a moment; he didn't think Inuyasha wanted him here. But then, he was talking about Kagome and how she would feel; that he could understand.

"I have what I came for. I will return to fulfill my end of the bargain."

As predicted, Inuyasha lost his small gain of control and charged at him. Tessaiga, however, never left its scabbard.

Sesshoumaru dodged the insanely slow and horribly sloppy attack. His brother was upset and only attacking out of emotional overdrive. This could not continue long because he had to leave before Kagome woke up.

His brother attacked again, and yet again Sesshoumaru dodged. After nearly ten minutes of attack, dodge and parry, Sesshoumaru had enough.

Inuyasha never saw the hand that pinned him down, never saw the foot that sent him to the ground, and he didn't get up when Sesshoumaru released him. Instead he whispered, broken and hurt, he told his brother the one thing that would make Sesshoumaru stay.

"Kikyou is gone to find another way to take her soul."

Sesshoumaru looked down to his brother and met his eyes. It was clear to both of them that Inuyasha was to protect Kagome, no matter the cost; Kikyou could not have her soul.

Inuyasha's eyes averted to the ground. He never saw Sesshoumaru's look of disappointment.

Sesshoumaru turned away from his brother; he was upset that Inuyasha would be so stupid, that he would allow harm to come to Kagome. But it was not his problem anymore. With that he turned and walked away.

As he walked away, his head dropped a fraction in shame. He had lied; he didn't have what he had come for.

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Yeah, yeah I know; totally ripped off that line from the first movie (do you hate her that much?), but hey...it was a good line! LOL

I need to make a few points here. PLEASE READ IT ALL!!!!!

As you all can see, there isn't a lot written about Sango and Miroku. They are very real players in this fiction, and I'll put in a few moments every here and there to keep them up, but I'm not going to add too much because I am currently writing a side story to this that is completely about the others. It's called `Odd Passions' and focuses on the relationships of the rest of the group, as well as a few others. The pairings are completely up to me, so don't expect anything normal…that would just be offensive to me! LOL

Review Responses: While I would like to blame it all on the lack of PC usage I have had lately, I can't. A lot of the lack has to do with the fact that I am trying to get this up quickly, due to the long wait you all had that I completely intended to avoid when I last updated.

My PC has been, and still is in the shop. I rewrote chapter 11 from memory and frankly I like this version better *although it is a bit shorter*! Also, because of that, I don't have any of the emails that I saved for updates. I had to save them in MSW because my internet was having issues and I was afraid of losing it all (which I did). Unfortunately, my hard drive is unreachable.

So for those of you that are cursing me for not emailing to inform you of the update, I am TRULY sorry. And can those from ff.net that wanted me to have their email addy's for updates resend them please? That way I can make a new list.

Thank you everyone and here is your update. Expect another one soon!

Loves forever

~Mistress