InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unfettered ❯ Impending Darkness ( Chapter 11 )

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

A/N: . I really had to stretch the bounds of my usual style for part of this chapter and it was a trial.

Thanks to all those who reviewed and to doggieearlover for beta-ing for me. Here we go and I hope you enjoy... Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Still don't own InuYasha!!!

InuYasha woke in a foul mood as he found his senses already dulled by the upcoming moonless night. He slipped out from behind his still slumbering mate and into the main room of their home. Normally, he could deal with his impending mortal night relatively well during the day, since he did in fact still possess some of his powers. But with the very real danger to his son, he was feeling more inadequate than usual, and that in turn made him angry.

Upon hearing his father up and about, Taro, who had been playing quietly in his room so as not to disturb his parents, put down his toys and went to join him. The boy smiled at his father who was sitting cross legged against the wall.

“Good morning papa!” he said enthusiastically. “Do you want to play with me until mama gets up? I know... We could practice some.”

“No,” InuYasha snapped.

Taro’s smile faltered a bit. “Oh, okay. We don’t have to.” He took a seat beside the older hanyou. “Papa, what are we going to work on later, after I’m done with Kaede obaa-chan and mama?”

“We ain’t training today,” InuYasha said sharply. “Now, go see what the hell is taking your mother so long.”

“Yes, papa,” Taro agreed quietly, and with his ears lowered, headed for the door to his parent’s room.

He wondered what he had done wrong to make his father so angry with him. He tried to think of anything it could be, but there was nothing.

InuYasha felt like a complete bastard as he watched his son knock softly and then enter the room where Kagome was just getting up. The pup hadn’t deserved the way he had taken out his frustrations on him. It wasn’t his fault that his father was going to be mortal tonight. He knew he would have to find someway to make it up to his son.


Taro watched as his mother brushed her hair. “Mama?”

“Yes, baby?” Kagome prompted.

“Did I do something bad?” he asked quietly. “Papa, he’s mad at me, and he said we aren’t training today.”

The miko set down her brush and turned to him. “Are you sure papa’s mad at you? I can’t think of anything you could have done so early to upset him, and he didn’t tell me you had done anything last night.”

The boy shrugged. “He seems mad.”

Kagome hugged her son. “I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll talk to papa and get this straightened out, okay?

Taro nodded against her. “Okay.”

Taking his hand in hers, she led the way into the main room of the house, finding InuYasha scowling in his place against the wall. He looked up at her briefly, and she could tell that he wasn’t angry with anyone, except maybe himself.

The fire was already started, and a pot of water was already heating over the flame. Taro took a seat at the table, to wait for breakfast, and was joined by his father. It didn’t take long to prepare the simple meal. Kagome gathered the bowls, and on her way to the table, she glanced briefly at the calendar hanging on the wall, the one they used to keep track of when she went to visit her family, among other things. She noticed the small black dot next to today’s date, and it all suddenly made sense. She looked again at the elder hanyou and then served her family.

Kagome began to eat, and noticed that Taro wasn’t doing much more than picking at his food. She hated to see her little boy so upset. “Taro, papa isn’t mad at you. It’s just that today isn’t a good day for him to train you. You see tonight is his secret night; the one we don’t tell anyone about.”

The young hanyou looked to his father. “Really? You aren’t mad at me?”

“Keh, no,” InuYasha replied. “There just wouldn’t be no point, since I’m already losing my powers; but if you want to, I thought that after your lesson with Kaede-baba, we’d catch some fish together.”

Kagome couldn’t help but smile at her mate. She knew that going fishing with their son was his way of apologizing, and apparently Taro did as well since he, too, was beaming.


Just as InuYasha had promised, he took Taro down to the river to fish while Kagome finished her lessons with Kaede. By the time she was done and had made it back to their home, she found both her hanyou waiting for her. The fish, as usual, had already been cleaned and the fire was ready. In fact, all that she had to do was add some mild seasoning. She smiled at seeing both of her boys sitting together, mouths practically watering as they waited.

“Mama, guess what? I caught a fish all by myself,” Taro announced.

“Really?” Kagome prompted with a grin.

“Yeah! Papa showed me how,” he answered seriously.

“Well, then I guess I have to thank you both,” Kagome said, giving her son a kiss on the cheek as she set his bowl in front of him. She then walked around and presented InuYasha with his own food and bestowed upon him a kiss as well, laughing softly as he blushed and ‘keh-ed’ into his bowl.

Because of what day it was, InuYasha remained inside with Taro as Kagome instructed him in the knowledge of her era. Afterwards, though they did go outside for a time, they stayed close to the house and returned to the relative safety of the indoors well before sunset. They enjoyed dinner together, during which one of the hanyou turned human, and simply enjoyed being together as a family until it was time to retire for the night.

Of course, Kagome insisted on making love once before she let her mate convince her to go to sleep without him, and InuYasha had to admit that she hadn’t had to try very hard at all.

Kikyou could feel an unnatural stillness in the air. She had been expecting this night for some time, and rose from her bedding silently. She cast a wary eye towards her sister Kaede, relieved to find that where as a child her sleep had been light and she had woken easily, this no longer appeared to be the case.

Pausing only to grab her bow and arrows, the miko who lived again stepped out into the night. There was no moon to light her way, and that, too, was for the better. It would not do to have someone witness her heading into the forest at this hour, lest they say something of it to her sister.

She knew that Kaede was suspicious of how she had been returned to life and of what the price might have been; but she was not yet concerned enough to mention it to InuYasha or that girl, that pathetic little girl who had stolen her life. If she was seen, then that could all change, and it would ruin everything.

Deeper she journeyed into the forest. The shadows drew closer to her, and she stopped as the stars themselves were blacked out by the suffocating malignancy of its presence. Icy tendrils of dread and depravity brushed across her skin, but she held no fear. Nor did she use her power to block its attempt to seek out the darkness in her heart, for she knew well what it would find, and that its nature was not to be denied.

The not yet corporeal embodiment of chaos and destruction; a long forgotten evil, a malevolent being once cast into hell for acts of unspeakable viciousness and horror, thriving on suffering. A creature most base and ineffably vile, tied to her very soul, giving of itself that she might live, but at a great price.

Yes, it filled the vacuous cavern in the center of her being, allowing her become whole, just as the souls of the dead had before her true resurrection. She, in turn, was its link to this world, though the binding connection was not yet complete.

‘What have you decided?’

The words were not spoken aloud, but drifted across her consciousness like a plague, filling her entire mind, so that she could think of nothing else, see nothing but vision of her desires granted with her compliance.

“And when it is done?” she asked.

‘You will be free. With the boy I will live again and you will once again be whole.’

Kikyou cast her bow aside and removed her clothing, to stand naked before the darkness, both in body and in soul.

The air became thick and damp, saturating her skin so that her unbound hair lay plastered where it rested against her face and back. Out of the abyss surrounding her, the essence of the dark entity wrapped itself around her, lifting her from the earth. Both space and time ceased to exist in the all-encompassing black.

Before she could take a single breath, all of the warmth was drawn away from her body, and the stagnant air supporting her became frigid, causing her to feel a deep ache in her bones.

She could feel it probing her consciousness, reaching deep into her mind in an attempt to evoke the anguish within her by bringing forth old memories of torment and betrayal. Then at once, and completely unrestrained, the penetration of her entire being marked the beginning of the true desecration of her body and her spirit.

With each feverous thrust, she felt as though she was being torn apart, but despite the agony of it all, she could also feel her passion ignite. Burning like fire, it raged through her, warming her from the inside out. Never had she experienced such rapture or such excruciating pain. It was such glorious torture, profane, and yet she found herself becoming untuned.

As she cried out, succumbing to her own pleasure, any good that had remained within her was lost to the chasm.

Covered in sweat and blood, she found herself once again standing on the forest floor, and though the darkness remained, the presence had retreated. It was done. They were joined and would remain so until their bargain was complete.

The dark miko gathered her clothing and made her way to a nearby spring, knowing that she could wash away the taint on her body, though it would do nothing to cleanse her soul.

InuYasha would never admit it, but he very nearly jumped out of his own skin as his son flew into their room, while he held his sleeping mate in his arms. Of course, Kagome was roused by his sudden movement, and they both looked to the little boy for an explanation.

“I-I-I had a nightmare...” he whimpered. “Something bad is here.”

Kagome immediately reached out to her son. “It’s okay,” she soothed. “I’m sure it was only a dream.”

Taro, however, pulled away and shook his head furiously. “It was real, mama. You have to get some paper and make some seals. Papa isn’t safe like this. Please, mama... Please.”

InuYasha was frowning darkly. “What was your dream about?”

“I don’t know,” the young hanyou admitted. “I just remember it was dark and there was something bad... It was evil. Please, mama, let’s hurry.”

Kagome looked to InuYasha. “I guess it couldn’t hurt, and if it will make him feel better...”

Even before she was done talking, Taro took hold of her hand and was pulling her out of bed. He led her into the main room of the house and waited impatiently for her to gather the paper and brushes. Before she could dip the brush in the ink though, he stopped her.

Taro ignored his mother’s gasp and his father’s protest as he sliced open his palm with a soft whine and let his blood drip into a small bowl. “Use this mama, please.”

“Baby why?” Kagome demanded. “Ink works fine for sealing out youkai.”

“I don’t know, mama,” he said quietly. “Please... You and papa always tell me to trust my instincts.”

He watched his mother cast a worried glance towards his father, and it seemed to help her make her decision. She dipped the brush in the deep red and quickly made several sealing sutra. Without a word she rose and sealed first the doorway, and then placed a scroll on each wall of their house, effectively sealing it.

When she was finished, Taro visibly relaxed. He yawned and then sat down as he lapped at his injured palm, sealing the small wound. Once it was done, his eyes fluttered closed, and he slumped over into a ball and fell asleep right there in the middle of the floor.

InuYasha went to his son and lifted him into his arms. He returned the sleeping boy to his bed and then rejoined his mate in their room. It was no surprise that neither one of them really felt like sleeping after what had happened; so, when the hanyou took up a seated position against the wall beside the door, he opened his arms to Kagome, who moved gratefully into his embrace.

“Are you worried?” she asked quietly.

“Keh, it was probably nothing but a dream,” he lied.

Kagome nodded against him, even though she knew he was only saying what she wanted to hear.

“Besides, you worry enough for the both of us, wench,” he added as an afterthought.

Even with the current situation, she couldn’t help but smile a little, knowing that he was trying to ease her fears at least a little and to comfort her in the only way he really knew how. And the truth was, it worked. Kagome lifted her head and looked up at him, letting her hand flick his unruly bangs out of his eyes.

She pressed a tender kiss to his lips. “I love you, InuYasha. Thank you.”

“Keh,” he snorted, but even in the low light she could see his blush. He returned her kiss and pulled her back against his chest, letting his fingers run through her hair, as a soothing gesture to them both.

Kaede stopped just outside the home of the young family. She had decided that perhaps with Kikyou returned it would be best to have their lessons here, and when Kagome had not shown up this morning, she had assumed her sister’s presence to be the reason. However, now she could feel Kagome’s power barring the entrance, and that somehow it had been bonded to the power of a youkai so that even she would not be able to enter. The old miko wondered how such a thing was possible, and why the house would be sealed in such a way.

She called out to those inside, “Kagome, InuYasha, is all well?”

InuYasha’s ear twitched and he stirred. Sometime, after dawn and his transformation, he and Kagome must have dozed off. He slipped away from his sleeping mate and headed for the front door of their home, only to be met by their son. A tug on the leg of his hakama stopped him from reaching out to move the reed mat.

“Papa, you can’t do that,” Taro said. “The seals... We need mama to take them down.”

“Oi, baba, come on in,” InuYasha called.

“I cannot, InuYasha,” Kaede replied. “I am barred from entering, just as you are unable to come out. I do not know how such a thing is possible.”

The older hanyou frowned, but didn’t have time to dwell on why his son would be worried about more than just youkai coming after them, or how he knew to make such a sealing sutra in the first place, since he found himself distracted by the pained cries of his mate and the scent of her terror.

“Stay here,” he barked at his son before hurrying back to Kagome.

Her body was wracked with tremors and she was struggling against some unseen force as she lay on their bed. He went to his knees beside her and pulled her into his arms. Almost instantly her body stilled and she opened her eyes. She looked up at him and tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Kagome...” InuYasha tried as she clung to him tightly.

“So dirty,” she muttered against him. “Gods, I feel so dirty. Please... Please, I have to get clean.” Kagome lifted her head and her eyes were desperate. “Please, take me somewhere I can get clean. Please...”

He didn’t waste time with questions, knowing that she would tell him what was wrong once she had a chance to calm down. InuYasha stood with her still in his arms, and noticed the way she trembled and rubbed her hands over her skin as if trying to rub something away.

“My bath stuff,” she whispered.

He nodded and grabbed the small bag that always sat just inside the door. Taro looked at him with wide, frightened eyes as he saw them, and the condition his mother was in.

“Mama?” he whimpered.

Kagome closed her eyes and shook her head. “Please, don’t let him come over here, not when I’m like this. Don’t let him near me...”

“Kagome, you have to remove the seal,” InuYasha said quietly. The miko lifted her head and pulled away the sutra around the door. “Oi, baba, can you stay with the pup?”

The elderly woman took one look at the girl in his arms and then nodded. “Worry not, I will remain with him until you return. What I must speak with you about can wait until then as well.”

“Stay with Kaede-baba,” InuYasha told his son. The little boy worried his lower lip, but nodded and let the old miko lead him back inside.

Assured that his son would be watched over, and sensing the desperation of his mate, InuYasha raced to the spring. As soon as Kagome was on her feet, she dropped the light sleeping kimono she was wearing, and tore through the small bag for a bar of soap.

InuYasha could only watch as she scrubbed herself furiously. It wasn’t long before her usually pale skin became a fiery red and still she continued to attempt to wash away whatever it was upon her that he was unable to see. The hanyou undressed quickly and went to his mate, grabbing her wrists to prevent her from causing herself any more harm.

“Let go,” she pleaded desperately. “I have to get clean.”

“Kagome,” he began gently. “There’s nothing on you.”

“Yes, yes there is,” she cried. “Can’t you smell it? Oh Kami-sama it’s on me... in me. Make it go away.”

As she sobbed, he pulled her against his chest and smoothed her hair. He leaned down and breathed deeply against her neck. “My mate, you smell just as you always have, clean and pure. There’s nothing. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know... I don’t know,” Kagome tried. “When I woke up I just felt so... so dirty. I-I still feel that way, like there’s something unclean inside me, something dark and vile, and I just want it to go away. Make it go away, please.”

Not knowing what else to do, InuYasha lifted her head and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and he carried her from the warm water, laying her gently on the grassy bank. She clung to him desperately. Her soft whimpers pleaded for him cleanse her body with his own, and so he did just that.

He joined with her in a single sure thrust and she cried out, a joyful sound of completion, and relief from whatever it was that had been haunting her body and her spirit. Their bodies rocked together with practiced fluidity and desperate need, until as one they found release.

Kagome hugged him as he rested his head against her neck. “Thank you...”

The hanyou lifted his head to look down at his mate and cupped her cheek with one calloused palm. “So, you’re okay now?”

She nodded. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what it was, but it’s gone now. You made it go away.” There was a long moment of silence between them, and then Kagome spoke again, “You... you don’t think this could have anything to do with last night... with what Taro was worried about, do you?”

InuYasha lifted himself from her and sighed. “I don’t know, but probably,” he replied, and that was the truth. “We should get back. The pup was worried about you.”

Kagome agreed, and they returned to their home together. As soon as they stepped inside, Taro ran to his mother and hugged her fiercely. She picked up the little boy and held him back just as tightly.

While mother and son talked, Kaede and InuYasha stepped outside. “I think it would be best if we waited to resume our training tomorrow. Kagome looks weary, and it would do no good to practice with her in such a state.”

The hanyou nodded. “So what did you want to tell me, baba?”

“Impatient as ever, InuYasha,” Kaede said with a shake of her head. “I merely wished to suggest that it would be wise to be even more vigilant than usual. There is much unrest among the trees, and I fear it does not bode well for any of us.”

The elderly miko refrained from voicing her suspicions about her older sister. She would need more proof to convince the young hanyou, who still clung so tightly to his memories of her, that all was not right. The strange aura she had sensed coming from Kikyou the previous night, when she claimed to be returning from relieving herself near dawn, had long since dissipated, and she could not be certain that it had not been imagined.

“Keh, thanks for the warning, baba,” InuYasha offered.

The old miko nodded and headed back towards the village, stopping only once to look back at the home of the small family and to whisper a prayer, before continuing on her way.